Bound Souls
by Nature9000
Summary: Forty-five souls wait to be devoured due to Beck's well meant plea for life following a tragic event. Now with their time drawing near, he learns of a medium who can free them from a demon's dark curse and allow them to cross over. First, however, he must find a way to convince this medium not only to help them, but to accept her ability and to break Ahriman's curse.
1. Alive, but not Alive

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This is a different thing than I've done and I hope you'll enjoy it. For those of you who are interested in the prequel, that was "Cursed Dance". Enjoy this.

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><p>Chapter 1 (Alive but Not Alive)<p>

"What are we still doing here?" Jade muttered harshly while watching Tori fidget around the refrigerator. Beside her, Beck scratched at the back of his head and moaned as he felt a clump of hair pull from his head. "It's been years. Dad and Andre's grandma are losing their minds."

Beck huffed as his girlfriend darted her cold eyes towards Tori and slapped her hand in the air. "It's _clear_ she's not the one, right?"

"Maybe it's because she's not eighteen yet," Robbie replied, "Janan said the medium's sense doesn't get strong until they hit eighteen, right?" Beck looked towards Rex and felt his heart sink as the puppet's sad eyes burned into him. Rex's face, arms and legs were beginning to splinter and would soon turn to dust.

"Man it's useless!" Andre proclaimed. "If we wait until she's eighteen it's going to be too late."

"Then what do you propose we do about it?" Cat snorted. The redhead crossed her arms and turned her head away. "I agree with Jade. It's useless. Nona's heart is breaking too." Cat's brow furrowed and she swept her bangs from her misty eyes. "Jade's father, Nona, Andre's grandma." Beck turned his gaze onto Cat and frowned at the bright red skin on her forehead, injuries not visible to many. "Why is it they can sense? They can see? Maybe we should go to one of them?"

"Janan said they weren't long for the world," Beck answered with a mournful tone. "They sense and see because they will die." He felt the chill of silence come in response to him, but despite this, the group did not react.

They had years to mull over this fact, to grow used to it. Even over the years, they had to avoid their families as well and become used to living apart. They didn't want to cause pain, and anytime they went near their families, one of their relatives would have a panic attack and break down in fits of tears.

Andre folded his arms and turned a forlorn gaze onto a rash on his arm. "They can't sense Ahriman anyway. No one can."

Beck's eyebrows meshed together and his face tensed as the hole in his heart burned. Being a year older than the rest was hard on him, but it wasn't the age that mattered. He felt responsible, so he led them. Now he did whatever he could to save them, but he was beginning to lose hope once more as Ahriman continued to claim another.

Guilt strangled him and drew his fists close. Jade's hand fell on his shoulder and he turned his head away to conseal the guilt and anger in his eyes. "You can't blame yourself forever, Beck." Her whisper enticed him, but drew back painful flashes.

Thunder echoed in his head and fire lapped at his chest. The smell of blood and smoke poisoned his nostrils as lighting flashed in his mind multiple times. "I should have listened to Sikowitz. Shouldn't have let anyone in that room. Damian, I thought…I thought Ahriman was going to give-"

"What are you guys talking about?" Tori's voice caused him to jerk his head upright. The girl was walking over with a soda in her hand. Her eyes were bright and her lips curled into a smile.

Cat leaned forward and swept her fingers across the red blotch on her forehead. "Can you see this?" Tori squinted her eyes and wiggled her nose.

"What? A zit?" Beck cupped his hand over his mouth and Cat fell back with a sigh of defeat. Tori's shoulders fell and concern flickered past her eyes. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Don't worry about it," Beck remarked. Tori hadn't ever noticed the shape Rex was in either. Maybe the others were right, maybe it was useless and they needed to resign themselves to their fate.

"I suppose she smells nothing either," Jade whispered while rolling her eyes. The stench was a powerful one. "I don't care what Janan said. She was wrong." Jade pulled her hair over her right shoulder and moved her hand up to scratch the bright red rash on her neck. "We may as well enjoy what little time left. Besides, Janan claims the medium can only sense because they're born from another cursed-do either Mr. or Mrs. Vega look cursed to you?"

"One has to be living, so maybe Mr. or Mrs. Vega had a kid with someone else that was cursed." Robbie shrugged and rolled his head to the side. "Janan said we already know the medium, and we need to convince the person to accept their ability to sense, but…so far we just look normal to Tori, and everyone else."

"I guess it's not that bad," Rex muttered, "You guys were lucky enough to be bound to your bodies. Instead, I get bound to a goddamn puppet."

It was fine that they looked normal to everyone, although half of Hollywood Arts did. The majority, even Damian himself blamed Beck for negotiating with Ahriman. Every day, every year when another's time was up, their last words before returning to dirt was a curse on his name.

Even Rex blamed him, but Beck's curse was worse than Rex's. While Rex challenged Ahriman and was forced into the body of a puppet, Beck would be last to meet the abyss, watching as all those he cursed went before him.

"We can't just give up." He glanced down to his hand, studying the veins that bulged from the surface. He yearned for the hot blood that once flowed through them with quick pulses. "Whoever Janan told us about…can sense, they can save us. I won't give up."

He watched as Tori and Andre talked near the piano. A shallow sensation lingered in his stomach as he replayed the imagery in his head. "It isn't your responsibility." Jade's hand fell on his and a shiver ran down his spine.

Her touch was as icy as the snow up north, and a wet feeling lingered in her palm. "It is." He removed his hand from hers and watched the frown lines grow around her lips. Sikowitz's voice echoed inside his mind, crippling him.

_"Beck, don't open that door!" Beck whined as he heard Damian calling for help amid the sound of bullets outside._

_ "But it's just Damian." Along with Sinjin, Damian had been a good friend of his. Sinjin passed and Beck was getting more involved with the new friends he'd made, but that didn't mean he was going to abandon Damian. "We can't leave him out there."_

_ "Beck, no!"_

Another blast of thunder echoed in his head. He moved his hand to his abdomen as his stomach dropped. The worry in Jade's eyes pulled at his heartstrings, and he forced himself to look away. "You know it is. Every person still there at Hollywood Arts, every person whose family can't see them but they're cursed to live among the living until Ahriman claims them…I negotiated, thinking Ahriman would give us all a chance to live again. I was fooled and cursed everyone."

"Beck."

"That woman." His breathing grew heavy as he felt a fire surrounding him. "Janan said the medium can see and smell us in our current state, that the medium can sense the supernatural. She's strongest at eighteen, and somehow she can free us. So if I can help save everyone from the fire, then damn it Jade, I'm not going to give up!"

Jade's fingers ran through his hair and tears ran along her cheeks. Robbie and Cat turned their heads to their feet and Rex shook his head. "I know you feel like its your fault, Beck. You're the one that spoke to Janan before any of us." Beck's eyes slid towards Jade and he took a deep breath, holding it as she pulled her hand away. "I'm not going to deny outright, but it is clear that no Vega in this household can sense us."

"Well we've only looked at Tori," Robbie stated, "I mean she's the one that isn't eighteen yet. Maybe that's the reason. Didn't Janan say the medium wouldn't be able to sense until she's eighteen?"

"No she's supposed to sense something before that, but when she turns eighteen is when it becomes more intense." So it was likely Tori just did not pay attention because her senses weren't sharp enough to be noticeable.

"So what, we wait for another two years?" Robbie crossed his head and snorted. "That sound like so much fun. Maybe we can just tell everyone that's rotting away that the savior is just two years away." He threw his hand into the air and rolled his eyes. "What if we're wrong? Maybe there's someone else in LA, maybe Janan lied and there is no promise. No damn salvation. Ahriman's going to claim all our souls, sap our energy and send us into hell!"

"Tori's good at a lot of stuff," Cat muttered, "It has to be her. Besides, she might be the only one to believe us. Though, if she can't see the decay…"

"Hey!" Tori's voice interrupted them. They turned back to see her walking to the couch. "The Walking Dead is about to start, you guys want to watch?" Beck's face turned sour as the others groaned.

"I can't stand zombie shit," Rex growled. "And the name zombie? Where the hell did that title come from? More like cursed souls destined for a black abyss."

Cursed dead have been around for years, theirs was not the first instance. Usually it happened when a soul tried to make a deal with a reaper to have a second chance, and they discover the reaper is simply a demon that will devour leave them bound to their decaying bodies only to be devoured at some point down the road.

It was very likely that this type of curse was inspiration to the person who thought up the zombie genres, but Rex had a point, the name 'zombie' was terrible. Also the media's portrayal of zombies made Beck sick to his stomach.

Tori slid her hands along the back of the couch and slanted her eyes at the puppet. "Robbie, when are you going to stop using that puppet? It's creepy."

Robbie opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when Trina's voice rose above them and made them flinch in shock. "Jesus! It smells like death in here." Beck raised an eyebrow and turned his head over his shoulder to see Trina descending the steps.

She was dressed to go out, wearing a flashy red dress and sparkly red heels. Her cheeks had a light pink blush and she wore light peach mascara. Trina's nose crinkled as she met Tori's gaze. "You should tell your friends to take a bath or something." Her Chanel purse slipped from her shoulder so she grabbed it and swiftly returned it to its place.

"Don't be rude." Tori slid her hands to her waist and glared at her sister. "Besides, I smell nothing." Beck's jaw dropped as Trina rolled her eyes and made her way to the door.

Trina always avoided them, to the extent they rarely saw her. That was more prevalent in recent months, but they never put any stock into it.

"Just go on your date," Tori remarked.

"Since when is she dating?" Jade scratched at her forehead and looked to the others with concern. A scowl spread across Trina's face and Jade flinched. "I uh, didn't mean that to sound rude."

"I've been going out with Sinjin for three months now," Trina answered. "Try not to sound so surprised." Jade's eyes widened and Beck's chest throbbed. They weren't expecting to hear she was going out with him, of all people.

"S-Sinjin?"

Trina's lips curled into a frown and her nose scrunched. "Oh and Jade?" After a minute, she rubbed her own neck and twisted her lips in disgust. "You really should do something about that rash, it really looks bad."

Jade's hand shot up to her neck and her lips separated an inch. Beck curled his lips into a smirk as Trina left the house. He looked towards Tori, watching the girl shake her head. "Hey Tori, how old is Trina?"

Tori gave him a look as though he'd just asked an incredibly stupid question. He was taken aback by this, but said nothing and let her speak. "Eighteen. I thought you guys knew that. She turned eighteen three months ago, just before Sinjin asked her out. I thought you paid more attention to her?"

"She hardly pays attention to us, so we do the same." Now it was time to pay a little more attention. If _Trina_ was the one that Janan spoke of, they'd have to convince her to help.

No easy task of course, especially not if she was dating Sinjin, but Beck was going to see it through. Those of them left needed this, they needed a savior. If that was Trina, then he was determined to convince her of it no matter the task.

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><p>So Trina is the medium. We'll have to delve more into what that means and exactly what it is a medium can sense-which is essentially the spiritual realm. Most ignore, then there are those like Trina who are in denial of their senses. Then there's the question of how she can break them of the curse, but this Janan holds the key to that.<p> 


	2. The Medium's Sense

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 2 (The Medium's Sense)<p>

"What if the dead walked the earth?" Trina raised an eyebrow to Sinjin and studied the television show they were watching. _The Walking Dead. _"What would you say?" She curled her fingers around her bangs and gently pulled them from her eyes.

"I'd say you were crazier than I thought. Then I'd ask if the sushi you had at dinner tonight was bad." Sinjin laughed. She felt something brush her shoulder and snapped her eyes to her right where his hand was hanging over her.

Trina tensed her body and cleared her throat while returning her gaze to the show. It was a marathon night, but she never got into the show as much as other people did. "Where's your sister, Sinjin? We've been on five dates now and I have never seen Courtney."

Sinjin's face fell and Trina caught a flicker of something in his eyes. "Courtney hangs by herself typically." The tone in his voice was questionable, as though he did not get along well with his sister. With how little he spoke of her, it wouldn't surprise her if they didn't get along. "Do you want me to call her in? I'm sure she's just confined in her room."

"That's okay." She shrugged his hand away from her shoulder and stood up. "I need to use the restroom." Sinjin kept his eyes on the television, watching as Rick Grimes shot another zombie. He lifted his hand and pointed to a hallway.

"Down the hall and first door on the left." Trina nodded and followed his direction. She didn't care much for the house since it generated an air of discomfort that she was doing her best to ignore.

As she set her had on the doorknob to the restroom, she looked down the hall to the doorframe of a bedroom. Fingers wrapped around the edge of the frame and a blonde head poked halfway out. "Courtney?"

The girl studied her for a long period, then looked to the bedroom across the hallway. Trina's heart trembled as her eyes moved to the door. The girl pulled herself back into the room.

Trina listened to the metallic clicking of the lock and turned back to the restroom. Behind her she heard a whisper that made her blood run cold. "Vega." Her eyes darted over her shoulder and her teeth clenched.

She could feel the walls closing in, startling her as cracks ran along the edges. "Save…" Her stomach dropped and she clenched her eyes shut, swearing she was only imagining it. When she opened her eyes, the hallway had returned to normal.

"My imagination. Of course." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. This wasn't new to her, but it hadn't been this way before. Before she'd see things, smell things or hear things that nobody else would. She could ignore it then, but upon turning eighteen it was getting worse. The instances would come more frequently and stronger.

Still it was only a part of life, part of the background. No one else acknowledged it, so she didn't think she had to.

The whispers increased and like voices in her mind commanded her attention. "I must be going insane." She tore her hand away and looked back to the door, there was a darkness descending upon it but she associated it with the shadows.

_"Salvation. Savior." _

A vein popped from her neck as she slowly approached the door, each footstep sounded out like the echo of her heart.

_"Bam. Another one down…"_

Damian's voice, she recognized it, which was strange because she only met the man once or twice when she'd been at that nightmarish school.

_ "Don't open the door. Don't do it." _Trina's lips pressed together and she looked over her shoulder, curious to why she was hearing Sikowitz's voice. Damian's voice replied with snide towards whomever he was speaking to.

_ "Shouldn't have opened it…"_

Trina's breathing grew shallow as she stopped in front of the bedroom door. She felt a powerful heat swirling about her, forcing beads of sweat to pull from her pores and grasp at her hair.

The whispers behind the door were deafening now. "Is someone in there?" She swat the air beside her ear and shook her head as the whispering stung her like the sound of nails scratching a chalkboard.

_"Cursed. He cursed us." _Trina was certain they were real at this point, but she was too frightened to inquire of the speaker. If there was one. _"Cursed to rot unseen. Alive but not alive."_

_ "Devil in disguise."_

Her hand trembled over the doorknob while the air around her grew heavy. A fog surrounded her, drenching her with a cold mist.

_ "He'll eat our souls he will! Grow powerful with our essence. We won't be the last, he'll never stop. Not till he claims all the souls, not till he's the most powerful."_

"Who? Who won't stop?" She whisked her hand away, certain now that she was crazy for asking the voice.

_"Ahriman."_

Her heart dropped to her stomach and a breath escaped with a whimper from her startled lips. A response was the last thing she expected to hear from these whispers. "You don't exist. Figment of my imagination." She lowered her hands to her sides and steeled her nerves. "Created by a child's mind many years ago." Her face tightened and her eyes narrowed. "You're not real!"

It always stopped then, and even now, the whispering died down. Trina moved her hand to her chest and breathed out slowly. A cold chill swept across her cheek, caressing her. The door then shot open against the violent wind that knocked her off her feet, and with the wind came the voice's powerful shout._ "Doom!"_

Her eyes widened as a black vortex appeared in the door. She opened her mouth to scream, but her voice caught in her throat when a memory of a six year old child played itself in the vortex.

_"Christy, I don't like this game anymore. Let's just go home, please!" Trina crouched with her back against a tombstone. She wrapped her arms around her legs and hugged her trembling knees to her chest. "I don't want to play hide an' seek anymore. Daddy says cemeteries are bad places to go at night." Tears ran down her cheeks as she listened to the sound of rustling leaves and the mundane sound of an owl nearby._

_ The only reason they were out here was because it was Halloween and Christy dared her to play Hide and Seek in the town cemetery. She hated cemeteries because they frightened her, even as a baby she saw weird figures and shadows, and heard moans that she stopped paying attention to._

_ A sudden cry shook the air and caused Trina to jump to her feet. "Christy!"_

_ "Trina! Run Trina!" _

_ "Christy!" Panicked, she ran for her friend. Her chest ached with each pulse of her heart, and each breath fell in a violent pant. When she found Christy, she saw the girl being dragged across the ground by an unseen force. _

_ The girl was clawing at the ground, weeping bitterly. She threw her fearful gaze up as Trina ran for her to help. "No Trina, stay back! It isn't safe!"_

_ "I won't let you go." She reached down and grabbed Christy's hand. In that moment an explosion of air knocked her back onto the ground. She swept the dirt from her mouth and looked up and whimpered when she saw the figure holding onto Christy's ankle._

_ He resembled a giant with broad shoulders and a heavy jaw. "Medium." His hair was as black as the night sky and long like a poisonous waterfall. "Her soul is mine." The man's voice hit her like an earthquake, bidding her to run, but his piercing yellow eyes paralyzed her. "If you are so close to this ghost, you may join her."_

_ "G-Ghost?" _

_ "Trina, I'm so sorry." Christy whimpered as the man's lips separated and his jaw began to expand. "I just wanted to live as a normal girl, I didn't want to die, I loved my momma and my brother. I'm sorry I lied, Trina." Her heartbeat sped up as a black hole formed in the man's mouth, growing as his jaw reached the floor below. "I'm sorry."_

_ "This isn't real. None of this is real!" She scrambled to her feet, wiping the tears from her face as she watched her friend fly into the demon's mouth, engulfed by a dark abyss. _

_ The demon started for her but stopped as the cemetery lit up with light. Dropping to her knees, she whimpered as the cemetery's permanent residents surrounded her and their voices lashed out at the man._

_ "Go away! If I close my eyes you'll disappear!" She dropped her face into her hands, sobbing at the nightmare. Soon the whispers vanished along with the whirling wind._

_ "Trina!" Her father's voice, like music to her ears, forced her to open her eyes and look up. The man was rushing for her, his face etched with concern._

_ "Daddy!" She sprang to her feet and ran for him, hugging his legs and sobbing into his knees. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I don't like cemeteries daddy." He scooped her up into his strong arms and held her close to his chest._

_ "It's okay sweetheart. What were you doing out here by yourself?"_

_ "I wasn't alone. I was with Christy. She wanted to play hide an' seek." She rubbed her wet eyes with her arm and looked up to her father's confused look._

_ "Christy? Christy who?"_

_ "Christy Vicarious, Daddy. You know her."_

_ "Christy Vi…" His voice quieted and his eyes grew with sorrow. "I've not heard that poor child's name in ten years. Come sweetie, let's get you home." _

_ She put her chin on his shoulder and looked down to a nearby tombstone as the man carried her away. Her body continued to tremble, and her chest was moving rapidly while trying to catch her breath._

_ When she read the words on the tombstone, however, everything stopped. To her horror she was reading her best friend's name. Born in 1982, died in 1989._

Trina blinked multiple times as Christy's voice echoed in her head. She backed up against the wall and threw her hand up to her forehead, rubbing the bottom of her palm against her eye.

"You're not real, you never were. Leave me alone."

"Trina?" Her eyes shot open and everything that surrounded her was a normal house, and the door in front of her opened to show a standard bedroom lit by moonlight. To her left, Sinjin was standing over her and looking to her with concern. "Everything alright?"

"What?" For a split second it appeared that his eyes had been replaced by empty, blood drenched sockets. She shook her head and moved her hand up to her throat, sighing when he appeared perfectly fine. "Y-Yeah I'm fine. Just coming down with something, I think."

She picked herself up and turned away when he started to try and help her to her feet. "I'm okay, Sinjin. I think I'm going to head home now, that stupid television show is messing with me."

"What? It's just a stupid zombie thing."

"It freaks me out." She moved into the living room and grabbed her purse off the couch. "I will talk to you later."

"You want a ride back?"

"No I'll walk. Thanks though." She pulled her purse over her shoulder and moved to the door. Her nose crinkled when she caught a whiff of a nauseating scent. When she opened the door, Beck and Jade were standing on the porch.

Relief swept through her and she let Sinjin know he had visitors before she brushed past the couple. Their eyes widened and they glanced inside the house.

Walking down the street, she stopped beneath a streetlight and pulled her phone from her purse. She fumbled with it while searching through her contacts. She stopped over the name Jason and took a deep breath.

He was someone she met almost two years ago and came back into her life. She called him up and waited with baited breath until he answered. "Trina? I thought we weren't talking?"

Only due to his having returned around the same time she and Sinjin started dating. This was not the time to focus on that. "I think I'm going insane." She looked over her shoulder and furrowed her brow when a shadow fell behind a nearby house. "Am I being followed?"

"What was that? Are you okay? What about that guy you're dating now? How come you don't call him up?"

"I'm leaving his house. I don't know…" She swept her hand through her hair and closed her eyes. "I can't really talk about it."

"What's going on, Trina?" His voice was serious, and Trina had to think for a moment about how her statement sounded. To Jason, it could be alarming.

"Nothing. Just…" She glanced to a corner restaurant and made her way towards it. "You know Tyson's Barbeque?"

"On Chelsea and Tenth?" She looked up to the neon open sign and pushed the door open. Her eyes trailed over her shoulder and once more she thought she saw someone duck out of sight.

"Yeah. Meet me here soon as you can." She hung up and pressed herself against the door. Her shoulders fell and her body relaxed. Her mind still spun and her nerves were shot, but she had to try and relax. "None of it's real. None of it."

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><p>So she's definitely a medium, which remember happens if you're one of your parents was a cursed dead, so she's going to probably question that aspect if she ever figures it out. Now, what are your thoughts so far. Any thoughts on Sinjin? He's not technically a cursed dead. Oh, and I'm still on the fence about whether this will be mainly Beck's perspective or Trina's, leaning towards Beck's, though both will have their perspective shown.<p> 


	3. The Unexplainable

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: In this you will learn the fate of Beck and the others.

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><p>Chapter 3 (The Unexplainable)<p>

The horrific images remained imprinted on her brain long after the phone call, so Trina sat at the table struggling to rid herself of them. The window beside her allowed for the moon's neon glow to cast itself upon her cheeks.

Gazing outside, the skies had patches of purple clouds. Her eyes fell onto a figure that was standing at the other end of the parking lot. The man looked like Beck, but also like something out of the television show they were watching earlier. His hair looked to be falling out, his clothes were ragged and a hole in his shirt revealed a smaller hole in his chest.

"What is he, dressing up for a costume party?" She pulled the corners of her lips back and reached for the string to draw the blinds. "Jesus what's wrong with me tonight?" None of this was happening before going to Sinjin's place, but she didn't want to tell him that and make him worry.

Before closing the blinds, she saw an approaching pair of headlights zipping into the parking lot entrance beside Beck. Her heartbeat sounded off in her chest and her lips curved up as she watched the vehicle park and shut off its lights.

Within a minute the front door flew open and in place of them stood a tall, broad shouldered man with short brown hair spiked in the front. His blue eyes scanned the room.

Trina leaned forward, letting her eyes fall onto his chest and arms, and soon the nightmarish visions were being replaced by thoughts of him. The very reason being friends was so difficult were due to her feelings. While only starting to date Sinjin when he came back into her life, she didn't want her feelings for Jason getting in the way of that.

This was an emergency. "Jason, over here!" She waved and smiled as his eyes darted towards her. His chest sunk inwards and he walked up to the table.

"What's going on?" He pulled the chair back and sat across from her. "You sounded panicked over the phone. The guy you're with is treating you right, I hope?"

"Yeah but it isn't about him." Jason folded his hands on the table and glanced up as the waiter came by to ask him what he'd like for a drink. He ordered water, then looked towards Trina with a heavy sigh.

"Okay. Well I know you told me before you couldn't be around me or anything because you were dating him, so whatever it is must be bad." She swept her hair over her ear and looked down to her hand on the table. As she curled her fingers, she shrugged her shoulders and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know if it's bad so much as crazy." Her eyes returned to the window where the blinds were only halfway drawn. Beck was gone now, but still she felt someone's eyes on her and it generated great discomfort. "I wanted to ask you because we've talked about this sort of thing. Back at camp."

She moved her hands together and ran her right thumb over the knuckle on her left. Her lip tucked under her corner teeth as her eyes drifted up towards Jason's concerned gaze.

"Do you believe in ghosts? Spirits?" His brow furrowed and his lips pressed together.

"I believe there are things that people can't explain."

"Like, you said your uncle, right?"

"Uncle Erwin? Yeah." He leaned back and chuckled once. "Family doesn't like talking about him." A small wrinkle formed on Trina's forehead as she thought about Mr. Sikowitz sitting in his classroom, holding a coconut and staring at her with empty, sad eyes. "Everyone sees him, right? You do, your sister and her friends. People at that school."

"Right."

"But according to my family-who stay away from him…" Trina's stomach knotted and her eyebrows shot up. "They say he should be dead. He died while I was being born. Mom didn't find the news about her brother until the next day."

An icy chill struck her throat and she moved her hand up to her chest, curling her fingers over and into her dress collar. They talked briefly about Sikowitz at the camp and she didn't know what to believe then, and even now she didn't know what to think. "What does your family say happened to him?"

Jason held his breath for a minute and contemplation passed over his gaze. He flattened his palms on the table and separated his lips to release the breath of air. "The reason I don't go to Hollywood Arts is because mom freaks out about that place." His voice deepened and his eyes softened. "I don't know much, but apparently in '91 there was a school shooting there. Damian Parker-"

"Tori talks about a Damian Parker in one of her classes now, it's weird." Damian Parker was this weird, possibly troubled youth with scary eyes and a sinister voice. People at the school avoid him, but there are some students at the school that are plain terrified of him for reasons nobody has explained. "Sorry for interrupting, continue."

She felt a heaviness descending upon her and a thickness in the air that choked her. Jason scratched at his forehead and tensed his forehead. "Uncle had his students safe in the classroom, but a student let Damian inside. Apparently they were friends at some point. Nine of ten students in that room were gunned down."

"Oh god!" Her heart thrust forward as bile shot up her throat. The image of Sikowitz's blood drenched classroom returned to her mind, sickening her as she tried to shake it. She saw this once when she went into the man's room, and after that, she never returned. "What happened to your uncle?"

"He struck Damian down. His classroom was the last room Damian went into, according to mom. He fought Damian back and pushed his desk back, pinning him to the wall. They say the shooter shot himself as Uncle ran with the last student, getting her out the door."

She was relieved to hear about it, but now she was confused because Jason said his uncle died. "That sounds like he survived." Jason closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"He went back inside." Trina furrowed her brow and leaned back slowly, shaking her head in question. "The principal barricaded himself in the office, Uncle wanted to get him out. Damian had planted pipe bombs throughout the building…"

Her heart sank into her stomach and she gasped for air, but there was none to be found. His eyes opened halfway and his shoulders fell. "Not enough to bring the school down, but enough to make the tragedy one of the worst."

"H-How many died that day?

"Mom says forty-five. Twenty years and I never hear the end of it."

"Your uncle was a hero." She reached over and cupped her hand over his. She still didn't know what to make of it, and likely he didn't either because he still saw his own Uncle as though the man were alive still. "I don't know how he still walks around, or if it is him at all."

"That's just the thing. I was there when your sister and her friends were doing some skit at Uncle's place. He was alive and well-pushed himself through a window and came out without any marks, but still…" Jason rubbed his chin and furrowed his brow. "I can't explain it. Just like I can't explain why either, but I also feel a connection to the guy."

Trina swept her fingers in and slouched in her seat. "Well he is your uncle…"

"True." He scratched his chin and studied her for a minute. Concern flickered in his eyes, and the warmth in them tempted her. "Certainly you didn't call me to talk about my uncle, Trina."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "No I didn't, but you're familiar with the unexplained that's all. I've been having dreams…if you could call them that. Visions of ghouls, ghosts, and I even feel like I'm being watched."

Jason looked from side to side, looking out for her. The gesture brought a

smile to her face.

"Jason, it got really bad tonight. Sinjin even had these empty, soulless eyes-only bloody sockets though." Her voice rose and she leaned forward, moving her hand to her forehead. Jason raised an eyebrow at her and frowned. "I think I'm going insane."

"No you're not. It's probably that you did something or saw something that's bringing this on."

"Well, we _were_ watching that zombie show."

"That could be something right there." She lowered her hand and looked to his reassuring, comforting gaze. It was nice to know he didn't think she was insane. There truly wasn't anyone else she could talk to about this without it being suggested she enter a mental asylum.

"Yeah but I've seen stuff like this before. It all really started when I was a little girl. I mean, I always have noticed strange things, I just never really saw or heard much until I was six." She held onto her breath and waited as Jason pulled his lips back and nodded once, motioning for her to continue. "I had this best friend of mine. Christy. When I was six, we went to play in this cemetery…" Her chest throbbed with pain as the memory reentered her mind. Tears welled up in her eyes and she cleared her throat.

"Christy was being dragged off by something. I couldn't see it until I grabbed her hand. What was holding her…" She caught herself and winced at the image of the being she considered worse than what to small children was considered the boogeyman. "I don't even know. He was tall, covered by long black hair…he opened his mouth and-" A hiccup left her lips and her face tightened as Christy's scream echoed in her brain.

Jason curled his hand around hers, squeezing it for comfort. She looked down to his hand and sighed, forcing herself to continue. "I can't even understand how, but he-he _ate_ her."

"Ate?" But then, Christy had been more of a ghost than a living dead being, but that didn't explain how she was always able to touch the girl.

"There was a black hole or something, I don't know. Ghosts started appearing around me when he turned to me, they stopped him." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "When Daddy found me, he took me home, but before we left I saw a grave stone…Christy's."

"She was-"

"Should have been dead. Like…Like your uncle, apparently." She pulled her hand away and rose up from the table. "I'm sorry, it's all too crazy. I'm just imagining things." He stood up and reached over to hug her.

"It's alright, Trina. Just relax."

"Yeah, just…" She looked out the window and furrowed her brow when she saw a shaded figure walking along the edge of the parking lot. A nervous spike shot up inside her and she tore her eyes away. "Can you take me home? I don't feel comfortable walking back."

"Sure."

"Thanks…and thanks for being here."

"You know you can call me anytime if you need anything." She looked up to his eyes and curled her lips into a smile. After a second she tore them away and pulled her purse strap back over her shoulder. "As a friend, Trina."

"I know, Jason." She swept her fingers across her forehead and pulled them away with a heavy sigh. There was a part of her, or a voice rather, telling her to pursue Jason. She wanted to be with him, but since she was with Sinjin, she couldn't. Yet that voice, which sounded as though it could be Christy, seemed to be warning her of Sinjin. "It's just difficult, but thank you."

* * *

><p>Remember not all is as it seems, there's almost a deeper line to everything. So here's the fate of so many, and that demon that took Christy was Ahriman, though he needs a human vessel-wonder what he's up to. Bear also in mind that yes, that's the same Christy that was Robbie's "bully" on the show. There's a reason for it. It has not been said just yet what happens when Ahriman claims a soul. Indeed Sikowitz was a hero in his final hours.<p> 


	4. Unbearable Hell

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 (Unbearable Hell)<p>

"I can't understand why she's with him," Jade whispered as she moved her body against Beck's. He closed his eyes and breathed in gently as her fingers slid along his bare chest and tenderly brushed over the decay on his right breast. Her eyebrows moved inwards and the corners of her lips sank.

"Ahriman is planning something." Either that, or the demon knew they were going to attempt to convince Trina to help. As if it wasn't difficult enough of a process just getting through to her, he certainly didn't want to be struggling against Ahriman. "Whatever his purpose, we have to get through to her before he does anything to stop us."

His eyelids slid open halfway and his gaze drifted to her. She was gazing at the hole on his chest with a forlorn expression. Each time they slept together, she always appeared ready to cry. It was painful, but he made no attempt to express it. "What's going to happen to us, Beck?"

"What do you mean?"

"If we convince her to help, if she can do whatever it is this Janan woman promises."

"We cross over. Everyone crosses over." He felt her body shift and slide down his side as her head moved between his chin and chest. Beck slid his arm around her bare back and gazed at her with a growing amount of concern. "It's the only way, Jade. If we do nothing, Ahriman takes everyone. It's my responsibility."

"You say that, but Beck, what if what Janna said is wrong? What if it's hopeless?"

He didn't accept that possibility. Many were already giving up, and many had resigned themselves to fate, but he was going to keep fighting so long as he could. "We have to keep trying." Jade pursed her lips and he slid his arm around her shoulders while mustering up a reassuring smile. "I'm not going to let Ahriman claim everyone's souls, nobody deserves to go to hell. Not even Damian."

She scoffed lightly and shook her head. "I don't know how you can have the patience to try and help even him, but that's something I can say I love about you. You're more forgiving than I could be."

"I don't know. I'd say you're forgiving. After all, you and the others have stood by me even after all this time, when it was my fault everyone's been cursed the way they are."

"Curse or no, I love you, and I always have. Nothing's going to change that." She ran her fingers along the decay on his body and gazed at it with a forlorn expression. "I don't mind this curse, as long as we're together it's bearable. I know we've had our arguments, but, I don't think I could make it without you-I'd go insane."

He kissed the top of her head and hugged her close, needing to say nothing to comfort her. He knew as far as the curse went, she'd go before him, and it pained him. Much of the guilt he already felt was for the fact that she'd been cursed by his actions, and Beck wanted to save her more than any of the others that were in this situation.

_"If Trina's the way out, the I'll do whatever it takes to get her to help us."_ He studied Jade and felt a deep sorrow overtake him. In his mind he could picture his nightmare, Ahriman claiming Jade's soul, and it terrified him. The demon could do such a thing at any time. _"No. He won't have you, he won't have anyone else. I don't know how Trina can help, or what she can do, but if getting her to Janan will help with anything-"_

"Beck?" Her soft tone broke his thoughts, and once her eyes met his, he gave a smile and slowly rubbed her back.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering. I know we're not the first to be cursed corpses, and various demons have been doing this for centuries, but…I just wonder, a true medium that has a real connection with the spiritual realm-not those hacks you see on television and everything." She paused for a second and her nose started to wrinkle. "They're half dead, a child of a cursed dead and a living being?"

"That's what Janan says."

"But Mr. and Mrs. Vega are both living, and Tori doesn't have the sense. How is Trina a medium?"

"I was wondering about that myself." He had his theories, but the most applicable could be that either David or Holly had been with someone before they met each other. "Tori could be a half-sibling. Trina is the oldest, so maybe one of the parents was with someone else before they met who they're with now."

"Don't you think Tori would have mentioned her mom or dad having a prior marriage or relationship that Trina was born from?" Jade lifted her head and tossed her hand up. "I mean that girl's got an open mouth, she talks about everything under the sun, I'm just saying."

"There are probably some things she doesn't share, but then, do you think either parent would mention Trina being born from someone that was already dead? How would you go about explaining that?"

"I don't know." He often wondered about that since learning what a medium was. He also questioned whether a cursed dead and another cursed dead could have children, but since he and Jade haven't had any children in the last twenty years, he was almost certain it would be impossible. If it were possible, he would have no idea how to explain to a child that both of their parents are deceased. "I think we should be glad that we can't have children."

"That we know of. Just because both of us are cursed, do you really think it's not possible?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to find out."

"Don't worry about it." She laughed and rolled on top of him, grinning as she peered into his eyes. "It hasn't happened in twenty years. I'm not worried either."

There was probably a reason that it was likely with a living, because the living had more active reproductive organs. Still, a female cursed could get pregnant and bear a child, it happened to at least one of the cursed in their own school. They were all shocked by it when it happened, and what was worse, was the fact that the living father didn't want the child.

It was put up for adoption when Ahriman came to claim that woman's soul.

The next day, Beck met up with Andre and Robbie at a pool hall they frequented. Billiards had become a hobby for them over the years, even before they were cursed.

Rex watched from a nearby chair, muttering as he so often did. "If I were human again, I could beat the three of you."

"Yes we know." Beck lined up his shot, aiming for the nearest solid ball. "You say that every time." Rex had been the best of the four at billiards, and often boasted that his father was a champion pool shooter. "I feel for you, I do." He struck the cue ball and smirked as it knocked the solid into the corner pocket.

"Funny, very funny. Showoff." He straightened his back and tapped his foot to a song playing in the establishment. It was a song from 1989, _Rock On_ by Michael Damian. Rex's eyes drifted to the ceiling and he let out a subtle hum. "Since when do they play vintage stuff?"

"Vintage?"

"Yeah, this is from the eighties, man. It's old…"

Beck laughed as Andre and Robbie shook their heads. "Now you're making me feel old. This was one of my favorite songs back then, I listened to it day in and day out whenever it hit the top charts."

"Yeah whatever. You remember when MTV hit the scene with _Video Killed the Radio Star?"_

"We were only four when that came out," Andre reminded him. Rex was a little older, so he could remember it, but they hardly remembered the start of MTV. "I didn't even start watching MTV until I was 12." Beck raised an eyebrow as he leaned over the pool table to line up another shot. He looked up from the cue stick and tucked the corner of his lip into his cheek.

"Why so late?"

Andre shrugged and grabbed the pool chalk. "Mom and Dad didn't like the music on MTV. Dad was only fond of jazz, and musicians like the Rat Pack. Mom was into gospel music. The stuff on MTV drove her insane."

"Ah."

Robbie grabbed his soda from the table and lifted it up to his lips, holding it just inches from his mouth. "Man that's not cool. You know, I watched MTV as early as seven. My parents weren't so strict."

"I remember, they let you get away with anything."

"Perks of being an only child, man." Robbie laughed for several seconds, then stopped abruptly. Beck felt a shift in the energy around him and slowly pulled himself away from the table. Silence fell over the group as they all gazed at the pool table like it had just been swept away.

It hit him like a ton of bricks crashing down, they almost never talked about their families for this very reason. The relatives that knew they were still around even after death had either been driven crazy with grief and denial, it was very rare that any of those cursed had stable parents either still alive or still taking care of them.

Robbie swept his finger across his nose and inhaled against a sudden sob. "You know, Cat told me her grandmother moved to the retirement home because she couldn't stand to be around her anymore. Also, that her family moved away because of her."

"One of her brothers is clinically insane, right?" Rex dropped his head to the right and shifted his beady eyes over to Robbie. The boy nodded and Beck's heart started to sink under the pressure. "Her younger brother?"

"He's in his late twenties now, still lives with his parents because of his mental problems. He used to look up to Cat so much, when we all died he was distraught…so her curse drove him further into insanity like it did her parents. All of our parents."

Like Cat, Andre was the oldest sibling in his family. His parents moved away when the attack happened, leaving him with his grandmother. His father and younger brothers passed away within a few years due to a tragic event, and this led the mom to take her life. Andre was distraught over the news, and still didn't like to talk about it. With all the tragedy, it came to no surprise that his grandmother was now the insane woman everyone knew her to be.

Robbie's own grandmother constantly referred to him as a demon, his grandfather had become reclusive, and his father was now living in New York. His mother suffered a stroke in 2003 and passed away, when Robbie tried to go to the funeral, his grandmother locked him up in the basement just to keep him from 'performing evil' at the funeral.

"It's hard not to hate Damian," Rex admitted with a sour tone. "He didn't just destroy our lives, he destroyed our families too, and we have to be the ones to watch the destruction."

Beck shook his head and let his shoulders fall. "That isn't Damian's fault." The others murmured about Ahriman. It was difficult to say who was worse, but at the end of the day, it didn't matter much to them when thinking about their families. "I think maybe if I'd never been so stupid as to try and make a deal with a reaper demon or whatever…maybe our families would all be living normal lives now."

"No." Rex grunted and the others turned to him. "It's hard to say what would have happened to them. Obviously, since I'm just a puppet, my family doesn't know or think I'm still walking around two decades after my death. But they're all torn apart too, the last I heard. Mom and Dad got a divorce, my little sister got into drugs and is separate from them…my older brother was also murdered back in '99."

"You never talk about that. What happened?"

"He was shopping at a convenience store when an armed robber walked in." Rex choked up and cleared his throat. "He was the only one shot." Beck tensed and looked towards the ground.

"I'm sorry. I know it's no comfort…"

"No it's fine. At least you've still got your father, Beck. Even though he makes you stay in that RV outside."

"Not saying much, he hardly talks to me. Acts like I don't exist, just like Jade's parents do. Though her dad tries to understand the curse, but knowing what we know about the fact that he can sense without being born from a cursed-"

"His life's nearing its end? That's what Janan said?"

"Yeah. If a person isn't a medium, but they're able to sense death, then they're close to death themselves. Cat's grandmother, Jade's father, Andre's grandma…sure we're supposed to outlive them _normally_, but this? This way just isn't right."

"It's not." Andre grabbed his pool stick up and walked to the table with a loud huff. "But let's just keep playing, I'm sick of thinking about all this. Curse or not, we just need to figure out how to make the best of where we are…We're all doomed to hell anyway if we can't get a medium to somehow help us."

"We'll get one, Beck. We have one, we just need to get her to help."

Andre lined up his shot and shifted his eyes up to Beck. "Good luck, I say." His heart stung for the moment and he shook his head as Andre struck the cue ball. "I'm not sure which hell will be worse at this point, man…"

* * *

><p>Times like this it can be easy to give up, but if they're strong, they may get through it. Though twenty years is truly a long time to wait for an end to a curse.<p> 


	5. So Close, but So Far

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 (So Close, Yet So Far)<p>

"I'm not feeling too well." Beck looked to his girlfriend with concern as they entered the school. She was holding her hand on her stomach and wincing. "I feel sick, stomach ache."

"Do we need to run down to the pharmacy and grab some stomach medicine? Did you eat something bad?"

"It's probably nothing to worry about. Strange how we can get sick, huh?" He chuckled once and nodded. Just last year he wound up coming down with a bad case of the flu. Yet another one of the cursed students ended up incredibly sick with something that would likely kill a living being, and he ended up flushing it out of his system by drinking a lot of water. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?"

"Yeah, god forbid one of us actually comes down with cancer or something." He didn't know how the curse managed to keep their bodies and organs functioning, but part of him was grateful for at least that small silver lining. "Frankly, I am glad that we can still eat, sleep, and all the other stuff. Normally not being able to die would be a gift rather than a curse-"

"The curse part is the fact that we know we're going to die, and we're forever rotting."

"Yeah." He looked around the hallway and exhaled sharply. It baffled him why all of the cursed students still came to the school, as if it would make any difference. For himself, he did feel a connection to it. The place was hell with terrible memories of their final day alive, but it was also the one place they could all go and associate with one another as if it were a means of support for them. "I wonder what Sikowitz has planned today."

Jade shrugged, then he felt her tense up. When he looked to see what was wrong, he followed her gaze over to a man in the distance. Sinjin. He was leaning against his locker, watching them with an intense stare.

Beck took Jade's hand and she shook her head, groaning slightly. "You know, Beck. Every single day, I'm scared someone else will be taken. Even though I know Ahriman's got more of a systematic routine, and everyone's just on his schedule, I hate not knowing…"

"I understand." He felt the same way, but forced himself to acknowledge there was nothing to do to make Ahriman change his plans. "You know what bothers me? Seeing the possessed corpse of one of my former best friends. Every single day."

"At least his soul's already passed."

"Yeah. He's not cursed like me or like Damian." He held his breath for a minute, then guided Jade down the nearby hall. "Is it sad that all these years later, I'm still wishing I'd been there for Damian after we lost our friend? He didn't have anyone else, and I keep thinking…what if I just talked to him more? After what happened, we just stopped hanging out."

"There was nothing anyone could have done, Beck."

"I know, I just-" He heard a voice nearby and spun around to see Trina walking down the corridor with Jason. They were discussing Sikowitz, and the strange phenomenon of his existence. "Now's our chance to talk to her." He started to move forward, but Jade grabbed his wrist.

"Do you even know what you're going to say?" His chest throbbed and his lips fell into a frown. "How would you explain it to her in a way that won't either freak her out or laugh in your face?"

It seemed a recurring problem for him, he never thought his plans out fully. Rather, he just acted first and thought later. "I don't know." Trina and Jason stopped near them and glanced over. Jason smiled politely while Trina did not. Her forehead wrinkled and her lips puckered up while her eyes avoided them. "At least she can see our decay, and smell it too. That makes explaining things just a little bit easier."

"I guess."

"Hey Trina, how's it going?" He waved casually and glanced over at Jason with a subtle smile. "So, who's this guy?"

"You don't remember me?" Jason raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Sikowitz's nephew." It took a moment to recall him, since he only saw the guy for a split second. Beck extended his hand and Jason shook it.

"I remember you, good to meet you. I'm Beck Oliver, and this is my girlfriend, Jade West." Jason pulled his hand back slowly and raised an eyebrow, studying the two for a moment. "How do you know Trina?" He looked to the girl and raised his eyebrows. "You're still dating Sinjin, right?"

"Yes," Trina replied, "Jason and I know each other from martial arts camp. We're strictly friends right now…" Beck glanced back, but Jason wasn't reacting to what Trina said. He was still studying the couple, his hand was gently scratching his chin and his eyes were slanted.

"You two look like you'd be good for each other. Probably better than you with Sinjin, but that's just my thoughts on the matter." She'd be better off with Jason, that much was certain. "Something on your mind, Jason?"

"Your names. You share the names of two of the people that lost their lives in that tragedy." Beck's jaw fell open and he heard Jade cough behind him. Maybe they could use Jason's budding curiosity to their advantage in convincing Trina to help them. Still, Jason clearly wasn't sensing the decay, so he may not believe the story about their curse.

"What tragedy?"

"Back in '91, the school shooting and bombing done by Damian Parker. A relative of mine was involved, so I've actually done a lot of research on the subject." Jason bowed his head and clicked his tongue sadly. "It…is horrifying to hear and to read about. So many lost their lives that day."

"Too many." Beck clasped his hands together at his waist and bowed his head. "Never should have happened, but I wonder if it could have been prevented."

"Who knows. It's hard to prevent every single tragedy, and sometimes you never know when something or someone is going to be triggered."

"Yes, but if someone talked to Damian. If someone were there-"

"Maybe he wouldn't have snapped, but maybe he would have anyway." Beck turned his head up and frowned as Jason shrugged his shoulders. "The fact is, we don't know what could have been done, or if anything would have changed a thing. The lives that were lost that day never should have been lost, but we can't do anything about it now-we just have to let them rest and hope a tragedy like that doesn't happen again."

He was right, but Beck still felt a tremendous amount of guilt over having either caused the tragedy or done nothing to stop it. His hands balled up into fists as tears began to try and fight their way out from beneath his eyelids.

"So." His voice was strained, so he cleared his throat and waited to try and speak up again. "Why are you here now? You don't go to this school, I don't think, so are you just visiting your uncle or something?"

"Yes. I was hoping to ask him some questions. Ran into Trina on the way."

"I was visiting my former gym teacher," Trina stated. She still was averting her gaze from the two, and appeared to be holding her breath. Beck had to wonder if this meant the decay and rot was getting worse, in which case, he had no way to cover it up. "Anyway, Jason, I won't keep you."

"Alright. I'll talk to you later, I guess."

"Yeah. Do tell me how things go with you uncle." She rubbed her arms and watched him walk off. There was a flicker of concern as she turned her eyes onto Beck and Jade. "Maybe I should read about that tragedy. Might help with my criminal justice degree in the future…"

"Good idea." He flashed a grin while Jade moved up beside him. "Just keep an open mind about what you find."

"Why?" She shook her head and let a nervous chuckle slip from her lips. Beck took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He ran his thoughts through his head, trying to form some reasonable answer or explanation for what he needed to say. He hardly understood mediums himself, so it wasn't going to be so simple as telling her she was one.

"You know, Trina, we know that you can see-"

"See what?" Her lip twitched and her hands slid down into her pockets. "Don't you need to go meet up with Tori or something? You guys leave me alone, so let's keep it that way."

"Trina, come on. There is something we need to tell you, it's important." He felt Jade nudging him, so he turned to see what the problem was. When he saw Sinjin walking towards them, his muscles froze and he started to stammer.

Sinjin's eyes were slanted and his mouth was twisted in a curved smile. "Hey, you." Sinjin stepped next to Trina and wrapped his arm around hers. "I've been looking around for you." She chuckled once and pulled her arm back.

"You found me." Trina motioned to Beck and Jade, who were still frozen under Sinjin's peculiar, icy stare. "I was just talking with these two." Sinjin nodded once and waved at them.

"How are you guys holding up today?"

Beck's heart stung and Jade struggled to speak. "I'm feeling sick today, actually." She clutched Beck's hand with incredible force, causing him to flinch. "Probably going to pay a visit to the nurse."

"Well I hope you feel better soon."

"Just a stomach virus, probably. Could be food poisoning." She walked off, tugging Beck's arm with her. "Let's go find out what the nurse has to say, Beck." He didn't want to leave like this, but he had little choice. If Jade was too nervous, he wasn't going to subject her to anything she didn't want.

As they hurried off, he glanced over his shoulder. Sinjin was still watching them, his gaze sent a sudden chill down Beck's spine. He ignored the nauseous feeling in his stomach and turned his head away.

"Jade."

"What?"

"It might be harder to convince Trina to help us than I thought." He needed advice, so maybe now would be a good time to pay Janan a visit. The mystic could tell them what they needed to do, or at the very least, support them with whatever guidance she could give. "I'd like to learn a little more about mediums, actually. I know they're in touch with the spiritual realm, but that's about all I know."

"We can go back to her shop after school. Right now, I just want to relax and calm down." He knew how she felt, he was just as shaken up. There still seemed to be nothing he could do to find a way to fix things, and the longer he took, the more he felt the window of opportunity was closing.

"How in the hell is ae medium supposed to help us, anyway? I'll ask Janan when we see her later. Surely she's got some advice to give that'll help us out." He glanced back once more and narrowed his eyes as Sinjin and Trina walked away in another direction. "Also, I wonder how much control reaper demons have over the living, if any at all."

"Do you think Ahriman would try to influence someone?"

"Could be. I mean, what if Ahriman were to try and keep us from getting help from a medium. Could he influence her mind in some way, could he put a spell over her in some way?"

Jade looked back and shrugged. "I don't know. I know I like that Jason guy, he seems nice. Trina sounded like she and Jason had been a couple once, so why aren't they together?"

"Because she's with Sinjin. Clearly."

"Do you think we should try and get those two together?" Jade didn't normally suggest meddling in relationship affairs, but in this case, it was understandable. "Whatever we do with Trina, we need to be careful. If Ahriman gets wind of exactly what's going on…who knows what he'll do to everybody."

"He's still a reaper, and we made a deal. He cannot break that, so it isn't like he can just start claiming souls left and right." Besides, Ahriman could very well assume Beck wouldn't find a way to break the curse. "We just need to use his ego against him, that's all. He thinks we're stupid, that we'll just roll over, but I'm not going down without a fight."

"I'm with you, Beck." She leaned over and tenderly kissed his jaw. "I love you." He looked into her eyes with a loving smile and a full heart, it was moments like these that made every day with this curse bearable.

"And I love you. I promise, I won't let you down."

"You couldn't if you tried."

* * *

><p>True, it would be difficult to enlist Trina's help with Ahriman watching them. Do tell your thoughts on the chapter.<p> 


	6. The Cursed Parent

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 (The Cursed Parent)<p>

The mystic's shop was crowded as it had been before, so Beck was careful to watch where he stepped. "Don't touch anything," He advised to Jade, "I'm not sure what half this stuff is." Jade nodded and glanced towards a crystal ball on a shelf.

"So this woman's a medium as well? Why don't we just have her help us?"

"She said she can't do what it takes or something." He didn't know exactly what this was that needed to be done, but evidently it needed to be done by a fresh medium rather than an old one. "I want to know more about cursed dead, and how they reproduce with a living, and how that makes the child a medium."

"Do you think she knows who Trina's birth parent is?" He furrowed his brow and shrugged. There was little chance of the woman knowing the answer to that, but anything was possible with this stranger.

"Doubtful. I mean she knew about us, but that much was obvious when anyone researches the school shooting at Hollywood Arts." He glanced to the front desk and frowned at the empty cash register. His stomach was in knots and he wanted to leave quickly. "Where is this woman?"

"Where am I not?" Janan's answer came from nearby, causing him to jump out of his skin. His heart pounded heavily in his chest as the woman walked out from behind a nearby shelf. "You have come with questions?" The woman smiled and turned her eyes towards Jade. "And I see you have brought your beautiful girlfriend as well-or would it be safe to call her your wife?"

Jade blushed furiously and cleared her throat. "I'm not beautiful. I'm a mess of rotting, decaying flesh." Janan clicked her tongue and walked over, moving her hand beneath Jade's chin.

"Au contraire my dear, you are quite lovely. You see, beauty is not skin deep, it's what's on the inside that counts." Janan put one hand to her hip and twirled her other hand in the air beside her head. "You may be a corpse on the outside, but you are remarkably beautiful on the inside."

"I'm not sure how that makes me feel any better…but thank you."

"Yes, well, you've got questions. Come with me to the back room, and I shall answer all to the best of my ability." Beck exchanged a concerned look with Jade, then reluctantly followed Janan to the back. "I do have a question for you, however."

He looked up and raised an eyebrow. "What's that?" The woman stopped before the beads in the doorway and twisted partially towards him.

"Do you keep tabs on your family?"

He did not, only because it would be too painful to keep up with them. "Aside from my father, no." Beck crossed his arms and Jade moved her hand over to his forearm, causing him to relax momentarily. "I was a middle child, and the one boy between two sisters. I've only stayed with my dad…my mom is elsewhere, and I don't know what my sisters have been up to."

"Do you not speak with your father?"

"No, he refuses to tell me anything and constantly mutters that I should be dead. I've given up on trying to establish any kind of report with him."

"I understand." Janan entered through the beads and Beck took a moment's hesitation before following. "You wish to discuss how a medium is created?"

"Um, I suppose. It would be nice to know how the whole thing works. Especially since Trina's a medium, yet both of her parents are living."

"Give me a moment then, boy. I will explain it to you. But first you must understand that a medium can only be born of a cursed dead. In other words, your medium has a different parent. What I will say is that Miss Vega may be related to someone involved in your school's tragedy." Beck raised an eyebrow and took a seat at the round table.

"That makes no sense. She was born in '93, the event happened in '91, and I highly doubt Mr. or Mrs. Vega would sleep with a teenager."

"Do you or do you not want information?"

"I do…"

"Then close your mouth and open your ears, boy."

At the Vega home, Trina paced uncomfortably in the front room. She could see her father watching her from the study, he was frowning and had a heavy look in his eyes. She stopped pacing and made eye contact with him, waiting as he rose to his feet and moved towards her. "Trina, are you feeling okay?"

"No. You wouldn't believe me, anyway." She took a deep breath and fell onto the couch. David sat beside her and pressed his lips together. "Things have been really stressful. I'm seeing things that shouldn't be there, hearing things and running into odd coincidences. I don't understand what's going on, and I think I'm going insane."

David pat his knees and bowed his head. "You're not. I don't know what's going on with you, but I will tell you that you are not insane. But it is possible whatever you're experiencing may have to do with your mother." Trina did a double take and glanced to the stairs.

"Mom? What does she have to do with any of this?" When he closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath, Trina gained a sense that something was amiss. She looked to her father and tilted her head to the right. "Is something wrong, Daddy?"

"Nothing is wrong, but I do have something that I've been needing to tell you. Only, it's difficult." Her heartbeat grew steady and she moved her hand up to her chest while slowing her breathing. "I did not meet Holly until after you were born, Trina. She is not your mother."

In an single instant her entire world froze. She moved her hand down and stammered in the sudden shock and confusion. "What?" Her eyebrows meshed together and she slowly shook her head. "I don't understand. Why are you telling me this now?" The timing seemed poor at best. Her mind forgot the unexplained instances that had been happening recently, and questions began to form in her mind. "It would explain why mom ignores me, but-but why didn't I know this?"

"I never knew the right time, the right way to bring it up. You've talked about strange things happening lately, and I figured…maybe it's something from your birth mother." She doubted these strange senses were from her mom, but anything was possible. "Lisa…that was her name." He smiled slightly and Trina bowed her head, focusing on the heavy feeling in her chest. "She was a great woman-if she had lived, she'd very likely be here now."

"You mean you would have married her?"

"We were engaged to be married." David leaned back and looked at the wall in front of him. "She…passed away around the time you were born, Trina." Her jaw fell open and her eyes stung from the tears that were fighting her. "I know it seems sudden, but I couldn't keep this from you anymore, you deserve to know about your mother…."

"She was a police officer," Janan stated while grabbing a rope from the shelf in the room. Beck let himself relax, focusing on the tale that Janan was giving him in regards to the parent that was cursed. "What little I know of the situation is that she was engaged to Officer Vega, but was shot and killed while trying to stop a bank robbery." His heart sank and he bowed his head, cursing under his breath. "She must have made a deal with a reaper and was cursed."

"And somehow her reproductive organs worked."

"Let me ask you, Beckett. Do you not get hungry and eat? Do you not feel the heart pumping beneath your chest? The reaper keeps their end of the deal and gives you life, but to that regard…there are conditions. You need have to read the fine print."

"Yeah…"

"Now, because the child is born from a cursed one, they are in tune with the supernatural. They can see ghosts, they see demons and much else."

"And because Trina's birth mother was cursed, she's a medium." It was difficult to stomach this information, and he was truly sorry for Mr. Vega and for Trina. "But how can we get her to accept this, to understand it? How can we get her to believe in all of this."

"The key may lie in who her mother was. Figure that out, and once you do-or once she does, she may soon believe without question."

Trina had her head on her father's shoulder and was taking a moment to ponder and breathe. Her mother was a police officer like her father, of course she was happy about this. She wanted to know more, however. "Did you ever know her family, Dad? Do I have any relatives?"'

"Certainly. Although, I think she may have had a relative in that school shooting back in '91." Trina's eyes widened and she lifted her head, gasping aloud as David scratched his head. "She was always researching it. As for her other relatives, I do not know much about them. She hardly spoke of her brother or her sister."

"I'd love to know who they are, Dad."

"Then I would do what I could to help you." Maybe discovering who her mother was would help her focus less on the strange phenomenon that had been going on lately. However, if her mom had a relative involved in the school shooting, she would want to know some more about that as well.

"Thank you for telling me this." She was still letting it sink in, but she was glad still to know the truth. Even if she had not expected it.

David put an arm around her and pulled her into a hug, then gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "No matter what, you'll always be my child, and I will always love you. Got that?"

"I got it." She flashed a smile and hugged him in return. "I love you too, dad."

Back at Janan's shop, Beck and Jade left no more aware of what was going on than when they first arrived. She did give them tips on how to approach Trina with the subject, and even offered some cream that would help cover up their decay from those that could sense.

"So now we know, Trina's birth mom from a prior relationship with David, is the one that was cursed." Jade hummed lightly and slipped her arm around his while walking. She looked up to him and spoke with a quiet tone.

"She seemed awfully interested in your family for some reason. You've never bothered to check up on them like the others. Maybe you should?"

"I don't know." He didn't he could deal with the pain of seeing how they were fairing without him after all these years. "I'm fine just knowing my dad's pretty much going off the deep end…"

Jade's fingers tightened around his arm and her lips kissed his shoulder. The gesture brought his blood up beneath the skin and warmed his tense muscles. She pulled her head back and sighed at him. "Who knows, knowing might also make you feel better. Especially if they are doing well. I wish my family would be doing well."

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his head and looked towards the mystic shop. "The truth of the matter is, I don't know what I could find out. My dad's the only one I know I could get information from, and like I said, he won't talk to me."

"What do you know about the others?"

"Not much. Mom left a long time ago. My oldest sister was a new police officer around the time, of the shooting, and my little sister was always busy trying to get ahead in life."

"Your oldest sister was a police officer?"

"Yeah, and she was amazing." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he thought back to his sister. He could only wonder what she was up to now, so perhaps he would try and look them up. "I still want to focus on trying to free everyone from this curse, I don't really have time for side trips."

"Honestly Beck, I think we've got time. It's not like any of us are going anywhere right now, Ahriman doesn't have to claim his next soul for a while." She gave a warm smile and brushed up against her. "I think it would make you feel better, and I'd like to see that."

He chuckled and brushed a knuckle against his nose. "Okay. I will, then." It could be fun to see what his relatives were up to. He'd have to see for himself what the outcome could be. "But I'm not going to forget my primary concerns."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

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><p>So we've discovered a few things more about what's going on. Oh and yes there is a reason that the scenes shifted between Beck and Trina in this chapter.<p> 


	7. The Enemy

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Sorry it's been so long, I've been lazy. My gift to you is two chapters.

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><p>Chapter 7 (The Enemy)<p>

Seeing Damian at one of the cafeteria tables by himself, Beck decided to sit with him. When he sat down, Damian scooted himself away to the right and shot him a suspicious look. "What do you think you're doing?"

Beck shrugged and grabbed the banana on his tray. "Thought I'd be nice and pay you a visit. Besides, two of the most hated people amongst the cursed, we have to stick together, right?" Damian threw a napkin in the trash and scoffed at him.

"Twenty years and I can't believe no one fucking notices. We never age, we're always here, and we look exactly like we did before we died." There were some minimal changes that everyone made, primarily wardrobe and hairstyles over time.

"The school closed down for the rest of the year, remember?" The assault happened on March 9th 1991, and all the destruction within made them shut the doors until August. "Not everyone came back right away. You came back-"

"I had nowhere to go. I couldn't go home, because I had no home." Damian scratched his head and rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe that of us they don't recognize me. I'm the one that killed everyone, they shouldn't even let me in those doors."

Damian slid back on the bench and stared down at is rough hands and bloody palms. "You know Beck, your curse is living with the fact that you cursed everybody to a life of hell before being some reaper's afternoon snack." Beck dropped his gaze and let his shoulders fall. "Mine is being alive cursed to spend my final moments watching those I killed…and I can't die." Damian's eyes drifted to Beck and his lips pulled back into a thin line. "You know how many times I've tried to kill myself, doing everything imaginable and still opening my eyes."

"We've all been there, Damian." That was no secret among them, even Beck tried to kill himself after the curse was set, but death wasn't allowed. "Ahriman controls us, we go when he says. That's the curse…I didn't even know we were going to be cursed, I didn't think pleading the reaper was a bad thing to do."

"There's a reason they say you can't cheat death." Damian narrowed his eyes and closed his hands. "I could do it all again you know." Beck tensed and held his breath. Damian brought a hand up over his mouth and closed his eyes. "But it would solve nothing. Pretty sure I'm going to hell no matter what happens."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you've been trying to find a way to save us all, looking for a medium and whatnot." Twenty years and Beck figured he would have learned by now that those forty five people were like a tight knit community. One person couldn't do much without the rest figuring it out. "Say you find a way to break the curse, everyone crosses over and doesn't become a demon's dinner. I'm going to hell regardless, because I killed forty four fucking people."

"Do you ever regret it?"

"Now I do, yes." Damian's hand fell back to the table and he stared off in the distance for what felt like an eternity. When he finally spoke up, his voice was quiet and his tone seemed to waver. "A long time ago I didn't. I was filled with hate when I did what I did, and to a degree I still am…but it's more anger than hate now."

"I see."

"I wanted those that I killed to die with me. I wanted _you_ to die with me." A lump formed in his throat as Damian turned to look at him. "When our best friend had that tumor, where the fuck were you, Beck? He died, and you went off gallivanting with your new friends, but Sinjin was all the friend I had then. Along with you. Both of you were all I had. My parents wanted nothing to do with me, when my brother died back in '82, they looked after my little sister like she was the fucking crown jewel of the family. So you two were all that I had left…so what more did I have to lose?"

A blank expression passed over Damian's face and Beck felt a strain in his chest. "I know. I'm sorry, Damian. I never meant to abandon you."

"He was your best friend too, so it was as if you abandoned him as well. So yes, I wanted you to die, I wanted your new friends to die, and I wanted your new girlfriend to die." Beck moved his hand to his abdomen and swallowed the rising bile inside. The memories of that day were now playing over and over in his head, and he couldn't shake them. "But this? This curse, I wouldn't wish on anybody. If I'd known this would happen, I don't know if it would change much…"

"Sometimes I wonder if I'd been more of a friend to you, if it could have all been avoided." Their friend's death had a terrible impact on him as well, and he didn't want to burden Damian with his own grief. "When he died I grieved too. I avoided you because I didn't want to grieve or cause you any more grief than you were already dealing with."

"There were a lot of reasons I did what I did." Damian took a deep breath and folded his hands over each other. " Mainly, I didn't want to die alone. I was already planning to die." Damian took a deep breath and folded up the napkin on his tray. "Now our best friend walks among us, and he's not even one of the cursed ones."

He frowned and turned his head up from the table. "That isn't our friend, Damian."

"I know. That's why I don't talk to him."

"He died in February of '91, he shouldn't even be here. I never thought a reaper could possess a corpse."

"You know his sister's still around too, but she's cursed, as far as I know. His parents died back in the '90s." Their deaths had been a grisly scene, and one that Beck wished he never saw. While he didn't witness the crime, he saw the news reports and saw the pictures. "I've always wondered how many reapers there were in the world."

"According to that mystic, so many, and that's why mediums exist apparently." He brought his hands up and laced his fingers together. Beck's knuckles rested beneath the tip of his nose as he focused on the tray of food. "They're called that because they serve a link to the spiritual realm. They can command spirits, help them cross over or finish unfinished business…and break supernatural curses too somehow. The contract that we're tied to our particular reaper with, a medium can sever that-but Janan said supernatural methods are involved."

"And this mystic? Why can't she help?"

"Apparently her powers aren't as strong as they once were."

Damian stretched his arms out and leaned forward. His bushy eyebrow drifted upwards and he stared at Beck with a quizzical look. "What powers does a medium have? Aside from being able to see things supernatural."

"I think it's essentially just being able to hold séances and communicate with the dead. Kind of like the cheesy psychics you see on television, but mediums are real. They can't see the future or make objects move, though."

"I see. And you think your living friend's sister is a medium?"

"Yeah, evidently she had a mother who was cursed dead that a reaper claimed her soul after she gave birth." Damian cringed and let out a heavy sigh.

"Harsh. Makes it easy to claim she died during childbirth, though."

"I suppose." Beck swept his hand through his hair and watched as some of the cursed ones walked past them. "Her mom had some connection to us." Damian jerked back and parted his.

"Everyone's a little young for that, don't you think?"

"Yeah, Mr. Vega wouldn't have sex with a teenager…the woman had a brother or a sister that was killed here in '91." Whoever it was, he felt bad for their family. The family would have lost two kids within two years. "She was a cop that died in '92. Made a deal with a reaper and was cursed until '93."

"Do you think it was _him_? Ahriman?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to find out. If it's Ahriman-" He stopped suddenly and closed his eyes as a pit entered his stomach. "It doesn't really matter, I suppose. What's more important is convincing Trina to help us."

Damian chuckled once and stood from the table. "To do that you'd have to get her to believe you're really dead and all of us are cursed. Once she stops freaking out, because you know she will, you've got to find a way to keep her from Ahriman."

"Yeah. That could be a problem."

"Why?"

"I think Ahriman's already got his sights set on her. He's probably making sure we don't get to her."

"Well that's just fantastic. Find a way to free us all, and Ahriman's already a step ahead."

"We are going against supernatural forces, according to Janan, so I'm not really surprised." Beck dropped his hands back to the table and glanced at Damian. The man's shoulders were sloped down and his eyelids were sagging with his jowls. "Damian. I will find a way to help you too. I promise."

"I don't deserve that."

"I know you think that, but you don't deserve all this shit either."

"You don't have to be my friend, Beck. I don't even deserve that."

He was wrong, and Beck realized that. "Everyone deserves a friend." Damian tossed his half eaten food in the trash and scoffed.

"That might have worked back then, but nowadays? Unless you want the group to hate you even more for befriending the one that killed everyone, I suggest you let me worry about myself while you go and worry about your own problems. You can't save everybody, you can't save me."

Beck closed his hands and watched Damian walk away. He grit his teeth and looked away. "You're wrong, Damian. That's where you're wrong." His eyes drifted upwards as a shadow fell over him. When he saw Sinjin, his breath stopped in his throat.

"Hello Beck." The skin around Sinjin's nose and eyes wrinkled and his eyebrows fell over his eyes. "What are you doing."

"I should ask you that question. You're dating Trina, but you have no interest in her. How could you when you're not affected by 'earthly desires'? What's your prerogative?"

"I have none." Sinjin shrugged and looked past Beck. "I see you were talking to Damian." Beck's lip curved into a smirk as the man leaned over the table and flattened his palms onto the surface. "You know what's so great about all of this? Not only do I have a shell that allows me to walk freely amongst everyone and to interact, but I also have all the memories…"

"Get out." His words trembled from angry lips and his hair fell over his eyes. Sinjin straightened his back and raised an eyebrow at Beck. "I don't know how you got in there, but I swear to god you'd better stop defiling my friend. Get out before I tear you out myself."

"Is that any way to talk to an old friend, Beck?"

"You are not my friend, we were never friends." He pushed himself up and stepped close to the man, growling as his eyes connected. "And you are not Sinjin. Mark my words, I'm going to find a way to break this curse."

"You can't. I'll tear your soul from that corpse of yours faster than you can blink an eye."

"Sure." He smirked widely and moved his hand to sweep the lint off Sinjin's shoulder. "But you can't do that. You can't go against your own contract. Lo and behold, the deal was…I am to remain attached to my corpse until _everybody else_ has gone before me." A sneer spread across the enemy's face and he turned away with a violent huff.

"You'd best watch yourself, Beck. You have no idea what you're going against."

"I think I do." Beck's eyes narrowed as Sinjin stormed off. He lowered his voice and balled up his fists. "And I will win…Ahriman."

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><p>Well hopefully that answers at least one question, which may or may not have been obvious.<p> 


	8. Monsters?

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 8 (Monsters)<p>

The light of his father's house shone through the window with a dull glow, but he remained unaffected as he stared from the window of his RV. His wrists locked behind his waist and his forehead pressed gently against the window as his shoulders sank. "Twenty years, it never gets easier."

Beck could see the silhouette of his father seated in his recliner, reading a book. Many years ago, he'd take an interest and start a conversation with his father over the literature, and that eagerness still filled his shattered heart.

The rain outside pelted his window, and with each jolt of thunder, his body tensed. Storms were hardest for him, each clap of thunder was like a gunshot, and each flicker of lightning was the blast that brought about the screams in his head and the pain around his open wounds. After that day, he sought his family's comfort, but they turned him away. It didn't surprise him, but it hurt to be thought of as a monster.

Another clap of thunder echoed, causing him to tighten his fists and glare at the sky. "I'm not a monster. You hear me?" His voice rose as he screamed at whatever unforeseen force dictated his life and death. "I'm no monster, and you can't keep me bound here!" Beck thrust his fist through the window, then winced as shards of glass cut through his flesh. He pulled his fist back and grabbed his wrist, screaming as he collapsed to the floor and pressed up against the wall of the RV. "Jesus!"

The rain blew inside and fell around him, creating an aura of water that cloaked his body. Beck took a deep breath and turned his wet eyes onto the fresh wounds. There was little blood, but deep and jagged cuts stretched along his hand like cracks that would never heal.

His door flew open and he threw his head up with a powerful shout, but was relieved to see Rex standing in the doorway. For a moment he thought it was Ahriman coming to claim his soul early. "What are you doing here without Robbie?" Rex started to walk towards him, but with slow and limping movements. Everyone was aware he could move on his own, but Robbie's helping him around was convenient, if not faster.

"He won't help me with what I need, so I'm turning to you for help." Beck lowered his wounded wrist to his lap and closed his lips together. A hard lump grew in his throat as Rex stopped halfway to him. "God, walking in that storm is hard as hell, I mean I already have enough difficulty walking on my own."

"You should be more careful, your wood could rot."

"Do you think I care?"

"Fair point." He spread his nostrils apart and closed his eyes. "So what do you need my help with that Robbie won't help you with?"

"I need to get over to Monica's place." Images of a ten year old brunette flashed before Beck's mind. Monica was Rex's little sister, she was one of the sweetest kids he'd ever known, always showering Jade with compliments and bringing them flowers whenever she could.

Each victim of the shooting had their own individual funerals, and each attended. Beck attended everybody's, and seeing the little girl breaking down in front of everybody was hard to stomach. As far as he knew, she was the last surviving member of the family, Rex's older brother died in '99, and both of his parents died within two years of one another.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Beck raised an eyebrow and slowly rose to his feet. "You know you can't be connected with your family. You didn't retain your corpse, you're-"

"A puppet. No shit. Don't talk to me like I don't already know that." Beck smiled sadly and crossed his arms as Rex turned his head to the door. "I have no intention of making contact with her, I don't want to hurt her like that, but I am still her big brother. I need to protect her." Beck furrowed his brow and uncrossed his arms.

"What's going on?"

"She's been dating this asshole." Rex's voice trailed off and the roaring thunder fell silent around them. Beck's heart dropped as he watched the puppet's head rotate back to him. "Marcus something or other, he's an abusive prick that's got her wrapped around his finger and he won't let go. I fully intend to bring the fear of god on him while I have an opportunity."

"We're not monsters, Rex. We don't scare people." Beck felt a rush of anger as well, he didn't want to imagine Monica in such a situation.

"I don't give a shit." Rex's voice rose and his wooden eyes seemed to fill with emotion for the first time. "There is a man abusing my baby sister, and I'm not going to sit by and let that continue!" Rex lifted his hand, then dropped it with a heavy growl. "Did you become a coward when you died, Beck? I mean come on, you would never stand for something like this if this happened to your sister."

Beck's nostrils flared as he thought of Lisa and Linda. He'd been the middle child, and he was protective of both his siblings in life. If anyone were to hurt them, he'd lash out. Even with Lisa, who was six years older and tough enough on her own, he'd fight to the death for her. "You're right. I don't condone this, but it has to be done."

"Thank you."

It didn't take long to reach Monica's place. Beck parked across the street and looked out at the home. Rex's little sister was standing on the front lawn with a baby in her arms, and a toddler playing at her feet. She'd grown tall, and her messy brown hair curled over her ears and hugged her neck.

Her face retained its childlike appearance, and freckles adorned her cheeks, but they were seemingly hidden by the sickening bruises that blackened her skin. "You still think what I'm about to do makes me any more of a monster, Beck?" Beck trembled violently as he studied the woman's bruised arms. "I'm not a monster."

"No…" He breathed out and watched as a red car approached. "Who's that?"

"A friend of hers. I've been watching for a few weeks now, and that's Emily, apparently a very good friend of hers trying to get her to leave Marcus. He won't let her go, no matter what." Rex's voice grew noticeably dark, striking fear into Beck's heart. "So I'm going to see what happens when big brother pays a little visit…"

"Don't take it too far, man."

"Don't worry." They waited as the girl's friend helped her and the children into the car, then drove off. Beck glanced to a window beside the front door and saw the curtains pull away. A man's face appeared and ghastly eyes followed Emily's car.

"Whatever you're going to do, Rex. Now's your chance."

"Fuck right it is." Rex kicked at the door until Beck opened it for him. He started to ask how the puppet managed to open the door of his RV, but remembered that he never shut the door all the way. Rex hopped out and twisted around. "You coming?"

"You want my help?"

"I don't need it, but I might be able to use you if things go badly in there."

He shrugged and exited the car. He approached the house and crouched low beneath the window, watching as Rex approached the door and began kicking it. His eyebrows pushed upwards and he separated his lips just as the front door opened.

"What's going on out here?" Marcus asked while scanning the street.

Rex bellowed out, throwing his voice into the air with great power. "Assfuck, down here!" Marcus glanced down and froze, his eyes widened and his jaw fell open. "I know what you've been doing to my little sister, and I don't like it."

"What the fuck are you?"

"Pissed off. Oh, and your worst nightmare." Rex kicked the man's shin, causing him to throw his leg up. Before he could put it back down, Rex struck the other leg around the ankle, forcing Marcus onto his back.

Rex climbed onto Marcus's chest and gnashed his wooden teeth. Marcus looked up at him with a whimper and tried to reach up, but Rex fell forward and bit the man's left shoulder. Beck rolled his eyes and looked away, muttering about the action.

"Get off me!" Marcus screamed. Rex laughed out and struck the man's face several times. "What the hell are you?" He stopped, then moved close to Marcus's face, glaring into the man's frightened eyes.

"I'm a cursed soul, trapped in the form of a puppet. My name is Rex Parrish, and Monica is my little sister." Marcus planted his hands on the ground beside his body. His chest heaved and he started to shake his head. "I've been watching you, and I know she's tried to leave you. So here's the deal, you're going to leave her, you're never going to lay a finger on her, because if you do and you don't head my warnings…I will come back. Do you want that?"

"N-No, I…How can you be her older brother? You're dead!"

"I said that. Yes. I am dead."

"You're a monster!"

"No, you're the monster here." Marcus whimpered and screamed out as Rex struck him again. He then grabbed the man's throat and started compressing his hands around the neck. "But I can find ways to kill you if I need to, I hope you remember that."

"Please. Get off me!" Marcus started gagging. He grabbed Rex and struggled to pull the puppet from him, but whether it was by sheer force or will, Rex would not budge. "Oh god."

"I've had twenty years to learn how to move and use every part of this body. I'm still greatly limited by what I can do, but that doesn't mean I can't adapt-I can find ways." Rex removed his hands from Marcus's neck and moved them to wrap around the man's face. His wooden thumbs rested over the man's eyelids, causing him to scream out again. "Want me to poke out your eyes, Marcus? I can do that easily."

"No, god, please!"

"There is no god!" Rex pressed his thumbs against Marcus's eyes, his voice echoed and struck Beck like a heavy vibration. Beck bowed his head and lanced to the right, huffing. Unlike some of the others, he thought God was somewhere, but similarly he thought maybe whoever was up there had forgotten them. "At least, none that will help your ass, Marcus."

Rex removed his thumbs and Marcus opened his eyes, tears slid down his temples as he stared up at the puppet. "W-What do you want from me?"

"I told you. I want you gone, I want you to leave my sister alone. If you don't, I'll come back." He tilted his head and started to chuckle. "Oh, and feel free to tell everybody that demons are taking over puppets and bringing them to life." He then hopped off Marcus and moved slowly down the sidewalk.

As Marcus remained on his back, Beck decided it was best to leave now. He followed Rex to the car. "Why did you tell him that?" Beck shut the door behind him and looked down as Rex climbed into the vehicle. "Rex?"

"Because if he actually starts telling people a puppet attacked him, they'll throw him in a nuthouse." Beck glanced out the window and sucked in a deep breath of air. He watched Marcus stagger to his feet, the man trembled and looked down the street before running back into the home. "If I still had my human form, I could have done much worse to him."

"I'm sure he would have deserved it."

"Demons like that walk the earth, they're alive and fully human. It makes me wonder, why would they call the undead monsters." Beck's lips tugged back into his cheeks and he started up the car, glancing out the corner of his eyes as Rex stared out the window. "Let's go, Beck. Thank you for helping me…"

"I guess it's good to help your sister out even now?"

Rex dropped his gaze and breathed out slowly. "Yes. You should check on your sisters sometime, Beck." He furrowed his brow and gripped the steering wheel firmly. "I know you don't think any of us should have anything to do with our families, but that doesn't mean you can't at least find out what they're up to. Personally, I'd love to see how Lisa and Linda are holding up."

He visualized his family around the dinner table, their heads bowed to say grace. Lisa, though the oldest, would often feed table scraps to the dog. Her soft brown hair framed her oval face and fell around her shoulders, feathering out at the bottom. Linda would poke Beck during grace and snicker when their mother's left eye opened and scolded them for messing around at the table.

The vison brought tears to Beck's eyes and tugged at his heart. "Same here." He pushed down on the gas pedal and swept his hand across his face, wiping away the moisture. "Maybe I'll ask dad, though I can hardly get anything out of that man anymore." Times had changed, and he hadn't seen his sisters or his mother in years. Linda came by about eight years ago, and Lisa seemed to vanish after his funeral.

"I have never asked, because I don't think I'd like what I'd hear…"

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><p>Your thoughts? So, chronologically this means Lisa disappeared from the family in '92. Don't know if that means anything, but infer what you will and tell me what you think of this chapter<p> 


	9. More than a Corpse

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 9 (More than a Corpse)<p>

Returning home, Beck had time to consider whether he wanted to go inside and question his father about the whereabouts of his other relatives. "I have to stop being afraid of him." Beck leaned his palm against a streetlight pole and looked towards the door of the house.

A heavy breath fell from his lips and he pushed away from the light. With each step, he felt his heart beat echo into the air. His heavy fingers curled into his palms and he slowly licked the back of his teeth-a nervous habit that he never had been able to rid himself of.

Beck extended his hand to the doorknob, but did not make contact. As his fingers dangled over the knob, he closed his eyes and let out a scoff before knocking. It didn't matter if this had once been his home, nor if it was the home of his father, he was still a stranger.

Several seconds passed before he heard the sound of the deadbolt unlocking. The door cracked open and Beck held onto his breath while waiting for his father.

"What do you want?" Asked the tall, dark haired man. Beck cringed at the words of Kyle Oliver and tried to muster a smile. Kyle's heavy brow fell and his thin lips pulled deeper into his cheeks. "Is something wrong with the RV?"

"No. I just wanted to talk." He began to turn away, an action no different than what he would usually do. "But I understand if you-" He stopped himself and let his eyes dance on the mailbox at the end of the street. Determined to talk to this man, and sick of feeling separated, he turned back around and locked eyes with his father. "No, you know what? Dead or not, cursed or no, I am still your son." Kyle leaned his head back and raised his eyebrows.

"I don't know how much time I have left, but I know eventually I'm going to be gone." His voice spat out into the air, silencing all that was around him. "Everyone else hates me already, I'm doomed to hell unless I can figure a way to break a curse that nobody else believes will ever be broken, the least that my own father can do is _not_ be one of the people that hates me!"

"Is that what you think?" Beck huffed and breathed out slowly. His father's hand slipped from the edge of the door and the man crossed his arms over his chest. "I have to live day to day knowing that my son, who should have died twenty years ago, is walking around-never aging-because he made a deal with a damned creature that shouldn't even exist." Kyle dropped his left arm and pressed his right palm over his chest. "I didn't even believe in the supernatural, and I still don't want to."

He rolled his eyes and scowled back at the man. "Well what do you want me to do, apologize for getting shot?" Kyle dropped his hand and narrowed his eyes. "We were close once, Dad." Kyle's eyes slanted further and he leaned forward, his fierce glare burned into Beck's retinas.

"You were killed, son. I went to your funeral. I held your mother and your sisters as they broke apart. We stood at your grave until sundown for weeks, and then you show up. Did you think things were going to be the same, like nothing ever happened?"

"Of course not."

"I live with the walking ghost of my son in my backyard, and from time to time I have to remind myself-he's dead. He died twenty years ago." Kyle's words hurt a great deal, but Beck took them with ease and struggled to keep his calm. He wouldn't deny the man was right.

All he was, was a corpse. "My soul is still here, my life is connected, but you're right. My body is just a corpse, and what you don't see, is the decay." He spread his arms out and looked down at the hole in his chest and the bright red blistering along his flesh. "Certain people can see it, I can see it, but at least you don't have to. You have your son, standing here trying to talk to his father before he dies. I'm on borrowed time here."

"I won't speak ill of you, but you must understand how difficult it is for me." Beck closed his eyes and shook his head. He did get it, but that wasn't going to stop him now.

"I won't back away this time. I want you to know that."

Kyle swept his fingers across his brow and looked to the right. His shoulders fell and his chest sank. The man pushed the door open further and Beck's heart skipped a beat. "You may as well come in then. I don't know what I can do for you, but at the very least, I'll talk to you tonight."

Beck smiled and started to move his foot, but hesitated momentarily, looking to his father with uncertainty. Kyle's lips parted and a wrinkle popped up between his eyebrows. "Well come on before I change my mind."

"Thank you."

"I swear, I'm beginning to wonder if your mother was right." He stepped inside and felt the air in his lungs deplete as his eyes fell onto a photo of a woman with luscious brown hair and glossy pink lips. Her painted eyes were covered by teardrop-shaped glasses. "Becky often did say I was crazy to allow our son's corpse to walk around our home."

His eyes clamped shut and he brought his hand up over them while letting the memories of his mother flood his mind. "Where are they now?" Kyle chuckled and walked over to the recliner in the living room, stopping to run his hand along the arm. It looked as though it hadn't been sat in for years, of course, it was where his mom always sat to read.

"She left me back in the 90's, Beck. She and Linda both." He brought his hand down to his chest and pursed his lips. Nearby on the fireplace was another picture of a happier family. With Becky in her chair and Kyle standing behind her. His elder sister, sixteen at the time, stood beside Kyle. Ten year old Beck was standing to the right of the chair, his hands on the arm rest. He was standing on his toes, peering over his mom's shoulders as she read to eight year old Linda, who was on her lap.

"Who took that picture of us, Dad?"

"What?" Kyle turned his misty eyes to the picture and started to smile. "Your grandfather of course, that was taken when we all got together for thanksgiving one year." He felt a tear run along his dry, cracked skin, but the saltiness was a pleasing feeling. He didn't know why his mother left, or why she only took Linda with her; he was afraid to ask.

Kyle moved to the recliner across the room and motioned to the two-seater couch. "Have a seat Beck." He did as suggested, figuring his father wouldn't want anybody sitting in Becky's chair. He continued to study the picture on the wall, and the longer he stared at Lisa, the heavier his heart became.

Lisa resembled Trina so much that he thought he was seeing things. She had the same oval shaped face, the same brown hair and body type. Lisa's soft chestnut eyes appeared to smile back at him, and incited a rush of memories.

"Lisa was always the motherly type, just like mom." He ran his hands over his knees and sucked his lips into his mouth, tasting the tears that had ran over them. "I can't imagine that she wouldn't go with Mom." Kyle looked over at him and rolled his head to the right.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"She's dead, son." His eyes widened and he snapped his gaze onto his father. "She died in '93." His heart began to break and without thought, he stood and walked to the picture. Fresh tears spilled from his eyes and he reached up, gently brushing his fingers along the glass, whispering in a shuddering breath.

"No."

Kyle took a deep breath and pat his knees. "Technically. She was shot during an armed robbery in '92." His gaze fell and his body trembled with sorrow. "After her passing, Becky thought I was insane for letting you live in our backyard. Linda was going crazy with grief as well, so they left and I remained here-giving my son a place to live…"

"What was she doing?" His knees buckled and he shambled over to the couch, gripping it tightly. "When she was shot, what was she doing there? How did she die later?"

"She'd become a police officer. After what happened to you, she wanted to be a part of a career that might prevent such things happening again." Kyle's eyes closed and he leaned his right cheek into the palm of his hand, placing his thumb under his chin and his index finger over his thick moustache. "She died on the delivery table. Giving birth to another officer's child. She would never tell us about what happened that day at the store, though."

"I can't believe…" Unable to stand any longer, he started to fall, stabilizing himself only with the back of the couch. His last true memory of Lisa was of the morning before he left to school, before he died. She was making eggs and bacon, and insisted he stay to eat, but he rushed out because he was late for school. "If I'd only stayed-"

"What? I've been thinking of 'what if' for twenty years. Don't torture yourself with those impossible questions." Beck whimpered as his father shook his head. "No one can change what happened, so there's no use in dwelling."

"That's all I know how to do." He guided himself around the couch and sat on the cushion closest to his father. This man had to be remarkably strong to not have broken down by now, but he still felt terrible for him. "Lisa had a baby, you say?" Kyle's eyes opened partially and he nodded.

"Yes, but I've been unable to see the child since birth. The father has felt too much guilt and I can't bring myself to visit without breaking apart. Forgive me if I do not wish to tell you the name-the last thing they need is seeing Lisa's dead brother showing up." Beck waved his hand in the air and cupped his hand over his mouth. "Besides, the man has since remarried, and I don't feel his second wife and children really want Lisa's family around."

"It's fine. I understand."

"It's not all hopeless." Beck turned his head up and Kyle smiled sadly at him. "Linda married back in '99. She has a son born in 2001." He started to smile and questioned if Kyle had seen his grandchild any. At the mention, Kyle's smile faded quickly, startling him. "Apparently because of my willingness to keep you around, I've been deemed too insane to see my family. They want nothing to do with me. So no, I have never seen my grandson, and I'm perfectly content with that."

He raised an eyebrow at his father and leaned back slowly. "Really?" Kyle shrugged and left the chair, walking off into the kitchen. When he returned, he had a bottle of beer in each hand. He handed one to Beck, who took it hesitatingly. "I'm still underage, Dad."

"You're thirty-six years old." Kyle brought the tip of his beer to his lips and shrugged while tilting his head back to take a drink. "Whether or not your corpse ages, you've aged mentally." Beck chuckled nervously and took a sip of the beer. "How's that wife of yours, by the way?"

"Jade?" He lowered the beer to rest on his leg. "She's fine. Not my wife, though." Kyle rolled his eyes. His fingers tensed around the bottle and he brought his left ankle up to his right leg.

"You walk and talk, you still eat and drink like you're alive, the least you could do is act like you're alive while you're still here. This demon or whatever that you say plans to take your life, why do you let that inevitability keep you from actually acting like you're still alive?"

"Because…I'm not alive…" He furrowed his brow and stared down at the beer. "I'm dead. I'm cursed. The decay on my body limits me, whether it seems that way or not."

"Does it keep you from acknowledging that the woman you've been with for twenty years is your wife?" Beck laughed once and shook his head. "Your mother, and your sister, did not want to accept that you were still here. Not when they've seen the pictures of the massacre, but the truth is you're only as much of a monster as you think yourself to be. Maybe you're a corpse with a soul that hasn't been freed, and who knows if you ever will be free, but you're still human. You're still my son…"

Beck smiled at his father, then took a swig of the beer. He never thought about putting this situation into perspective like that, but his dad had a point. "This is a nightmare, it's hell, but you're right…maybe there's still something to be done. I don't want to give up, though-I can't let everyone be taken in by that reaper. And, it's a reaper, not a demon."

"Same damn difference." Kyle finished off the last of his beer, then hurled the bottle into a trash can across the room. "The fact of the matter is you spend all your damn time obsessing about your own death, that it keeps you from enjoying the time you do have before that thing claims you. But…" Kyle gripped the edges of his armchair and leaned forward, looking strongly into Beck's gaze. "It is admirable that you are looking for a way out of that curse."

"You know that regardless, I'm going to die."

"We all die sometimes, son, and you died back in '91. Remember that." Beck furrowed his brow and felt a dull ache spreading from the wound in his chest. "Therefore I accept that. I accept that I've lost my son, and I don't kid myself into thinking that I had a miraculous second chance with my son, but-" Kyle leaned back into his chair and brought his fingertips together and held them several inches from his chest. "I will be sorely pissed knowing that you have to burn in Hell. So…if you can find a way to cross over, do it. Take your wife, take yourself, and find a way to make it safely to the other side."

"Jade is-" He stopped himself and Kyle stared at him from the corner of his eyes. He chuckled softly and nodded at his father. "I'll find a way, Dad. I will."

"Good." Beck stood up and started for the door, he had to get back to his RV and get some schoolwork done. "Son?" He stopped at the door and a huge smile grew on his face. He kept his back to his father and closed his eyes, struggling to seal the tears away.

"Yeah, Pops?"

The man was silent for several seconds, and Beck held onto his breath for the length of this moment, taking in every single second like it was his last.

"Feel free to come in for a drink sometime." He dropped his shoulders and let the relief sweep through him. "You're not a corpse, not a monster, you're my son." A soft gasp pushed his lips apart and his tears glistened in the light. "Maybe I'm crazy, maybe not, but I don't mind the company."

"Thanks Dad." He choked on his words, then wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "That means a lot." He looked back to see his father smiling at him, then slowly pushed open the door. "The Superbowl is Sunday, maybe we can watch the game."

"That'd be good."

"I lo…" Kyle looked up at him and pressed his lips together. Beck shook his head and cleared his throat. "Yeah dad, it'll be good."

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><p>What are your thoughts? Finding out what happened to Lisa, what are you feeling? Do you think it's a good thing that Beck's dad is at least starting to come around to the idea of his son being around? What are your thoughts over the conversation they had?<p> 


	10. Ghosts and Spirits

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 10 (Ghosts and Spirits)<p>

"Leave me alone." Trina sped down the street she was jogging, shouting out at the people following her. These people weren't normal, they were not human. They were to pale, and they did not walk with their feet on the ground. Still, they were different than the people she'd seen at school.

Those at school looked like they were decaying, they had rashes and holes in their bodies. These people were not damaged like that, but they couldn't have been alive. "Please you must stop and talk to us, we won't hurt you." Her heart pounded heavily as she looked over her shoulder.

The first thing she saw was a woman with her hair flying in every direction. The woman's eyes were wide and her mouth was open in mid-scream as tears drenched her cheeks.

She turned her attention away and spotted Sinjin in the distance, walking around the corner of a building. His hands were in his pockets and his face bore a soft, tired expression. She nearly crashed into him, but fell to her knees instead and flipped over to stare at the ghosts behind her. "What's the problem?" Sinjin put his hand on his shoulder and looked at the spirits, acting as if he couldn't see them. "Is someone chasing you?"

Fear gripped her heart as she watched the ghosts stare at Sinjin with looks of horror and astonishment. Sinjin's mouth transformed into a scowl and his eyes narrowed at the ghouls. When she looked up, he smiled at her and closed his eyes. "Relax Trina, you're safe. Nobody's after you."

"Not safe," The spirits groaned, "Not safe." Amid the crowd of ghosts, a man emerged. He was tall and thin, had milky brown skin and wore a light brown vest over a grey button up shirt that hung loosely over his denim jeans. The man adjusted the fedora on his hat and stared at Sinjin.

"Don't make it like you don't see us. I didn't come all this way from New Orleans just to be turned away from a reaper." Trina refused to listen to what this man was saying, or any of the other ghouls for that matter, but his words did confuse her.

Sinjin helped her to her feet and turned his back to the ghosts. Trina kept an eye trained on them due to her fear over whether or not they could harm either of them.

"The name's Ray, by the way. Ray Preston!" She met the spirit's eyes, then averted her gaze. She grabbed her hair and pulled it back, bowing her head. "None of us are leaving, you do know that, right?" Ray chuckled and tugged on his vest while leaning back and glancing over his shoulders. "I mean I do have to go back to New Orleans, but I'm coming back."

Trina glanced back to Sinjin. She tried to ignore Ray, even though she wanted to know what these things wanted from her. "I think I'm just seeing things," Trina stated, "I haven't been feeling all that well."

"I'm sure it's nothing." He put a hand to the small of her back and chuckled softly. She looked over her shoulder and watched as Ray narrowed his eyes and pointed angrily at Sinjin.

"What do you think you're doing, girl? Do you know who that is? Don't ignore me, I know you can see and hear us. Ray Preston, I'm Andre's father. Andre Harris's father. Ahriman may have my son in his grasp, but he can't do shit to a ghost. I need to talk to you, I need to talk to my son!"

"Leave me alone," she whispered, "Just leave me alone." She turned away and walked with Sinjin. She felt him move his hand up onto her back, then closed her eyes as the spirits began to fade.

"You'd better start believing in the supernatural," Ray exclaimed, "It does exist. Ghosts, cursed souls, and demons. Demons and grim reapers, they're all out to make a buck. You can't just pretend we don't exist! Tell Andre, tell him his brothers are in New Orleans. We're all there, with the Hathaway family. We're waiting for him, we won't cross without him."

Sinjin looked over his shoulder and the upper corner of his lips lifted to reveal his teeth. When Trina looked back to him, the snarl faded. She had an uncomfortable feeling with this man, but she couldn't put a finger on what the problem was.

"Sinjin? Do you believe in a supernatural world?" He raised his eyebrows and laughed, a sign that he did not. She took a quick breath and shrugged.

"Why? There is truly no such world, Trina." She ran her fingers over her forehead and smacked her lips together.

"It's all in my head, then. Maybe I'm just going crazy." She felt him tense, then he stopped moving. She glanced up at him and he was staring straight ahead with an empty gaze and parted lips. Curious what he was seeing, she followed his gaze.

Standing before them was a woman that took her breath away. This woman stood an inch higher than her, had burned hair and red tinted skin. Still, this woman looked like a mirror image of her, but a few years older, and she wore a police uniform that had been standard of officers in the early 90's.

The redness that took the woman seemed to move as though it were fire on the woman's body. Seemingly drawn to this woman, Trina took a step forward and studied the name on the police badge: _Lisa._

"Do-Do you see her?" She stammered over her words and quickly looked over her shoulders. Sinjin had regained his composure and was sliding his fingers through his hair. "Sinjin?"

"I see a woman at a lamppost." Trina raised an eyebrow and looked past this burning woman. In the distance was a scantily clad girl leaning her left shoulder against a streetlight while waving at a passing car.

Lisa's fiery eyes shifted to Sinjin and her lips twisted into a snarl. Trina dropped her gaze to the woman's stomach. There was a crack that seemed to run up from her womb and ended around where her belly button was. Trina cupped a hand over her mouth and whimpered as the woman took three steps towards her.

She backed up slowly and clutched her chest when she made eye contact with the ghoul. Lisa's body started to twist and flicker, and the woman's hands clenched into tight fists.

Still locked in the woman's burning gaze, a flood of horror entered into her mind. She pictured a woman, her body riddled with terrible decay, screaming on an operating table she tried to deliver a child.

Next to this woman was a tall and dark figure, his eyes were red and his mouth was twisted into a vicious smirk. The man's hand fell on the woman's forehead. His hand was covered in wrinkles, and his nails were dirty and cracked. As the woman began to quiet, the man laughed.

"W-What is this?" Lisa continued her approach, her eyes commanding Trina's full attention. She heard Sinjin talking to her, asking what was going on, but she couldn't bring herself to answer.

Another image emerged of this same tall figure, which Trina now understood was a reaper. He was surrounded by a city of ghosts led by a woman named Melinda Gordon. The ghosts were draining the reaper, destroying him and freeing the most recent victims.

The woman was one of the victims freed, but she refused to be guided into the light. While the woman fled, the reaper vanished into a puddle of blood, destroyed by all of the ghosts and the chant that the medium was speaking.

Trina shook her head and brought her trembling hands to her face. Frightened, she dropped to her knees and began whimpering as Lisa continued her approach. "Why am I seeing this? What's going on?" Lisa stopped moving and rolled her head to the right. Trina opened her eyes and looked up to her, sniffing as her tears scorched her cheeks. "Who are you? You're not real, you can't be. None of this is real. I won't accept it!"

Lisa turned her head over her shoulder and glared at Sinjin. "The key will save. Ahriman." After several seconds, the woman vanished away with a thunderous clap. Trina's heart stopped and Sinjin ran over to her and put his hand to her shoulders.

"Trina, what the hell is going on?" His brow was furrowed and his eyes were slanted. She couldn't read the look in his eyes. Trina frowned at him and wiped the tears from her face.

After clearing her throat, she looked at the spot where Lisa had been standing. There were no remnants of this woman with fiery hair, but the presence had been so strong that she was certain Sinjin would have felt it.

"You mean you didn't see that?"

He frowned at her and shook his head. "No." He exhaled and dropped his hands from her shoulder. "I'm not sure what you're seeing."

"It was a woman…she looked like she was on fire, but she wasn't on fire. I…" She started to choke up and rose to her feet. She could sense the disbelief in his eyes, but there was something else. His tone was heavy and frustrated, and his body was tense. She wanted to be able to trust him, but where she hadn't in the past, she truly didn't feel safe now. "I need to go, Sinjin."

"Trina? Do you want to talk?"

"No." She pushed away from him and took off in the other direction. When she looked back, she saw the ghost of Ray appear with his back turned. He faced Sinjin, and somehow kept the boy from following her.

She continued to run, and with every step, her body pulsed with pain and an overwhelming sense of fear. She couldn't look back, for fear that she might be followed by something sinister, and now the memories of her childhood friend being devoured by a strange creature plagued her.

There was no telling how long Trina ran, or if the danger was past, but she only felt relief when she approached Jason's home. He was standing next to his lawn mower, and wiping the sweat from his brow with his forearm.

"Jason!" He froze and turned to her, raising his eyebrows as she threw herself onto him and grabbed his white shirt. Overwhelmed, she broke into sobs and let him slide his arms around her.

"What's the matter, Trina?" His voice was full of genuine concern, something she didn't pick up from Sinjin just moments ago. "Are you okay?" He placed a finger under her chin and she looked up to his eyes.

"No, I'm not. I think I'm going crazy, and there's something wrong with Sinjin. I don't know what, I just…I'm scared he'll hurt me." Jason's eyes widened for a moment and he guided her over to his porch where they sat down.

"What do you mean you're scared he's going to hurt you? Has he done anything to you?"

"No. I, I don't know what it is." She buried her face into her hands. Jason moved an arm behind her upper back and placed a comforting hand on her outside shoulder. She let herself be guided into him. "He saw her, he clearly saw her. That woman-those ghosts-he's not telling me something."

"Ghosts?"

"Yes. I'm seeing things." She lowered her hands and looked up at him. He pulled his arm back and set his hands on his knees.

"I don't know if I'd say that. I mean, I believe in ghosts, so I can't say you are or aren't seeing things." She scoffed once and shook her head.

"No. They can't be, and if they were, why would they show up to me?"

"I don't know, Trina. I think you just need to take a deep breath and try to clear your mind." She smiled at him and nodded once. It was rest that she wanted. "I've got to finish mowing the lawn, but you're free to go inside and lay down on the couch if you want. If you want to talk about anything, I'm here for you."

"Thank you Jason." Her heart skipped and swelled with a comforting emotion. Part of her wanted to kiss him, to tell him to hold her and never let go of her, but she couldn't bring herself to do that when she was still dating somebody else. "Really. I appreciate it."

Jason stood and pat her shoulder. His smile melted her fears away. She leaned forward and watched him walk back to the mower. "Why does Sinjin not comfort you?"

"We're not really close." He reached for the ignition and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Then why are you together?" She brought her fingertips to her mouth, hiding her smile as Jason stammered over his words. "I um, I don't mean that how it sounds, I just-"

"It's okay." She closed her knees together and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her head bowed and her shoulders rose. "I don't honestly know. There's just something, whenever I'm around him it feels like he might not let me leave. I can't explain it."

"I see. Well, you know how to find me if you ever want to talk about it." She stood up and leaned against the support beam on his porch. "Don't think I'm not tempted, but I'm not going to make a move on another man's woman." She laughed and shook her head at him.

"You've had me once already."

"And being with you was the best time of my life. I wouldn't trade that for anything, and I still love you, but I won't steal you back." He flashed a smile and pulled on the ignition. Trina dropped her arms and curled her eyebrows together, feeling her heart melting away in her chest.

"I wish you would," she whispered. She turned away and entered his home, then collapsed on his couch to get some sleep.

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><p>What are your thoughts after this chapter? There's <em>a lot <em>to take in here. What do you think about her sighting of Lisa, and what does Lisa's glare seem to indicate? What do you think is keeping Trina with Sinjin, and what does Ahriman want with her? Do you think having her in his grip could keep her from helping the cursed ones? What is the meaning of the vision Lisa gave to her? Could those ghosts be key? Then there's Jason, he's not a medium but he's seen ghosts too, so could his mother or father have been a medium? Do you think he can help Trina? Lastly, have you gathered any connection between Lisa and Trina yet?


	11. Lost Hope, Renewed Vigor

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 11 (Lost Hope, Renewed Vigor)<p>

"Where is Trina?" Beck looked up from the cards and stared at the others. They were waiting on Tori to come downstairs to finish the game of poker. Jade was seated beside him, but not focusing on the cards in her hands, but rather the hand on her stomach. "We still have to convince her to help us."

"She's probably off with Sinjin," Andre muttered, "Or Ahriman." Beck frowned as Andre placed his cards face down on the table. "Beck, I don't see how you can have both of your best friends go nuts." Beck started to speak, but Jade interrupted with a quick and defensive tone.

"It's not his fault, and Sinjin died before everything." Jade's eyes slanted and Beck tried to reassure her with a smile.

"I wasn't accusing. I was merely saying." Andre's shoulders rose and his chest expanded. "How the hell did Ahriman possess Sinjin? I didn't know reapers could even do that."

"I wonder if witchcraft was used," Rex joked. Robbie rolled his eyes and Rex turned his head upwards. "What? Wouldn't that be at all possible? His entire family died too, so what if Courtney ended up summoning a reaper somehow that took over Sinjin's body. An unattached corpse is easily possessed."

"He may have a point," Cat suggested. Beck glanced over and Rex nodded. "Besides, the real Sinjin has already crossed over. He's an angel, waiting in heaven, while a grim reaper controls his corpse and keeps a medium from being contacted by supernatural entities." Cat leaned back in her chair and chuckled. "Sinjin is one lucky bastard, up there, and we're all here waiting for hell."

Robbie kicked his heels onto the table and brought his hands behind his back. Beck looked to the boy and studied the skin peeling beneath his left eye. He set his hand to his stomach and groaned under his breath as the nausea swirled within. Robbie's eyes met Beck's and his shoulders bounced.

"Never gets easier does it, Beck?" Beck frowned and shook his head. "I still don't think there's a way out, I don't believe we'll escape Ahriman." Robbie dropped his right foot against the edge of the table, bending his knee slightly. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Especially not since your 'medium' is dating the guy-and we all know he's only got her within arms-reach so that she won't believe in all this shit. So good luck trying to pull her away from that."

"Well he is just a corpse." Beck reached under the table and took Jade's hand. He could feel her trembling and was concerned for her, but didn't want to ask while they were around their friends. "I wonder what would happen if we destroyed his body."

"You would honestly be able to do that?"

He held back his answer and dropped his gaze, frowning at the visual of trying to destroy his best friend's corpse. "No." Even if he could do such a thing, he'd have to fight Ahriman to do it. "Besides, Ahriman would destroy us right there."

"He made a deal, Beck. He's not allowed by whatever greater force there is to break that." Robbie pushed off with his shoe, tilting his chair on two legs. "Though his possessing a corpse is good, at least that way we know where he is because he has a physical body."

"But can still use all abilities." The sinister echo filled the air. The group stopped and looked around the room. Beck glanced to the Vega's wall clock and saw the second hand, and swinging pendulum beneath, frozen in place. There was a chill in the air that was overtaking him.

His heart beat erratically when he saw Ahriman taking form in the living room, still in Sinjin's body. Next to him was one of the cursed students. Beck's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet, screaming a curse at the reaper.

"I know what you want to do." Ahriman narrowed his eyes and looked at the blonde girl standing next to him. The girl whimpered as he ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her broken jaw. "So I came to show you that your attempts will be futile. I still have control…I still have power…"

Beck met the girl's quivering eyes and watched as the decay on her body began to rapidly grow. His stomach churned with nausea and anger coursed through his veins. "I'm sorry, Brittney." Brittney whimpered and bowed her head.

"This is your fault," the girl whispered in an angry, defeated tone. Beck closed his eyes and listened to his friends scream. The girl's flesh began to burn, sending thick smoke and a foul odor into the area. "Why couldn't you just let us die in peace?" He winced once more as the girl's voice lashed out at him, crushing his heart with her range. "Why did you even talk to the reaper? What were you thinking?"

His knees buckled and fell to the ground. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and opened his eyes with a start. It was only Jade, trying to comfort him.

In front of them, Brittney's entire flesh had been burnt off, revealing muscle and bone beneath. Her green pupils were wide, and her eyes seemed to be bulging from their sockets. Her lips were no more, and the muscle was slowly melting from her jawbone.

Beck extended his arm and sobbed angrily as the girl lifted her head to the ceiling and let her bones begin to drop onto the ground. Ahriman's laughter mocked him and incited a deep rage within. He started to lunge, but could only struggle in Jade's grasp.

"This is where it ends," Ahriman smirked, "For all of you." He ground his teeth together and watched as Brittany's bones began turning into dust. Only her skull remained, with her eyes peering out at him.

Her eyes held so much pain and anguish that they haunted him. Was it truly hopeless? He brought his hands to his face and leaned forward, weeping for the soul the he could not save.

Ahriman approached him and stared down with scorn. The reaper clicked his tongue and shook his head. "It's truly a shame, Beck, that you will not be able to save them. I brought Brittney here to dissuade you from doing something that will only fail. I don't want you getting your hopes up, or the hopes of anybody else, so forgive me…I had to remind you of what the end is."

Beck fell forward, planting his palms on the ground and shaking his head. His tears fell onto the carpet and his body trembled violently. "How many of you are there left? There were forty five when we started. Brittney here makes nineteen, so…" Ahriman tapped his cheek and started laughing mercilessly. "Twenty-six remain. Give it up, Beck. You cannot save the rest. Just let them go, let them all go, your hope for a breach in our contract ends tonight. Don't let Brittney's life and death be in vain, my dear, dear Beck."

Ahriman vanished and time began once more. Beck lifted his eyes to the pile of dust on the floor. He slowly moved to the pile and sank his fingers into the dust, whimpering as the hot ash fell through his fingers like sand.

Rex hopped from the table and walked over, mumbling under his breath. "Maybe he's right." Beck closed his eyes as the puppet sighed. His heart shattered, and the shards pierced him and caused a pain that stung more than the bullet that killed him. "Maybe we should just…give up? Resign ourselves to the inevitable?"

"H-How can you say that?" Beck spat out at the puppet and pushed his palm against Rex's chest, pushing the puppet back. He rose up and stared down in anger. "Brittney was your own girlfriend, Rex. How can you watch as she's turned to _this_, and say it's time to give up."

"Well I don't exactly see a way out of this nightmare!"

He balled his hands up into fists and tried to think of a retort, but nothing came to mind. His shoulders fell and he bowed his head. "I…maybe you have a point."

"Beck?"

"I need to think." He walked away from the group and closed his eyes. Brittney's bloodcurdling scream haunted him. Her accusation, he would never be able to forget that. Nor could he forgive himself for having been the one who put his friends and classmates into such a situation.

"I am worse than Damian." He scoffed and pushed his hands into his pockets. Aimlessly, he turned down a hallway and started walking. "There's no way out of this. Who am I kidding? I'll only fail." Beck clenched his eyes shut, grimacing at the visions of all those already lost. They didn't all go out the same way as Brittney, but each of them dying had been no less gruesome.

In Brittney's eyes he could see the look of hope lost. She didn't say it, but she must have been thinking that he failed her. If there was salvation, then why couldn't he save her?

Beck stopped in front of a doorway and looked up at the ceiling as though he were peering through it. "I…" His shoulders fell and guilt hacked away at him. Every wound and hole on his body burned violently as his pride and hope began to wash away. "I can't do this. I'm only going to…"

He stopped suddenly, catching something in the corner of his eyes. As he turned his head, he saw a photo that struck him cold. It was David's study, and on his desk were a number of framed photos, each being of his family.

But the one picture that caught Beck's attention wasn't on the desk. It was on the wall above the desk. The photo appeared to be taken at some policeman's ball several years before, and David was dancing arm in arm with a familiar woman.

"Lisa?" Her name rolled off the tip of his tongue and he turned fully towards the picture. "No." His voice trembled as he studied the timestamp in the corner. Janan's words returned to haunt him.

_"One of that girl's parents was cursed. If her sister cannot see, that means they do not share the same parents."_

His father's haunting story and the oddity surrounding the circumstances of Lisa's death dealt a heavy blow. She'd been cursed, otherwise who else could Trina's parent have been? His hand flew up to his chest, clutching his skin tightly.

He fell to his knees, holding back a scream. In an instant he thought of the connection and his body grew cold. "N-No…that means…" His eyes flew from the picture of Lisa and to the picture of Trina that rested on David's desk. "My niece?"

The longer he stared at the picture, the more he felt an urge to fight. If Trina was indeed his niece, then he had to get her away from Ahriman no matter what. Even if he couldn't save the others, he wasn't going to let Ahriman destroy Trina's life.

Beck pulled himself up and glared at the picture with David. This man was with his sister, and normally he'd want to confront the man that got his sister pregnant, but there wasn't time for that. Still, he did want answers if he could get them.

With new fire lit inside him, he rushed out of the hall and grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. Jade and the others looked up at him with concern, and Jade was the one to stand. "We're not giving up," Beck growled, "Trina's the medium and I'll convince her to help. But first, we need to help her."

Jade helped him with his jacket and furrowed her brow at him. "What do you mean?" She walked around him and turned fully to him. "You saw what Ahriman did, we can't fight him."

"We'll find a way. I need to get my niece away from him." Jade jerked back and the others glanced at him with stunned expressions.

"What?"

"Brittney's death isn't in vain. I'll save everybody, one way or another, but it means I need to help Trina." Beck made his way to the door and turned partially, pointing out at the others. "And if any of you see 'David', tell him I want to have a talk with him too."

"Da-Mr. Vega?" Jade put her hand on the edge of the chair and frowned at him. "Beck, what's going on?" He flashed a grin and spread his arms out.

"Hope, Jade. I'm not giving up, not now, not without a fight. I'll explain everything in a bit, but first I have to check on something." He was going to find this other guy that he'd seen Trina with and talk to him about his relationship with the girl. If there was anything between the two, he wanted to know. If he approved, then he would try and get this man to help get Trina away from Ahriman before the reaper did something terrible. "Ahriman has no idea what I just found out."

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><p>Well that was rather gruesome. So what are your thoughts now that Beck has made this discovery?<p> 


	12. Garnering Support

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 12 (Garnering Support)<p>

He knew where to look to find the other man that Trina had been around. Jason was Sikowitz's nephew, and Mr. Sikowitz had often talked about the boy. So when Beck arrived at the house, he was feeling very comfortable and confident. Of course, he wasn't too sure what to say to the boy, but he could think of something.

When he approached the window, he was surprised to see Trina inside on the couch. She had a blanket around her and was drinking what appeared to be hot cocoa from a mug. "She looks just like her," Beck whispered aloud. It was the first time he truly looked at Trina, and it was breathtaking how much like Lisa she appeared. "How did I never see that before?"

His heart skipped a beat and he started to smile as he watched the scene unfold before him. Trina looked up from her mug as Jason approached her. Fortunately the window was cracked just enough that Beck could listen in.

"Can you still not get ahold of him?" Jason crossed his arms and leaned comfortably towards the right. Trina glanced at the phone next to her and shook her head. "Some guy, won't even pick up for his girlfriend." Jason uncrossed his arms and shook his head. "I don't meant to speak ill of him, I just-"

"It's okay." Trina sipped her drink and closed her eyes. "I wouldn't say I'm his girlfriend, we're not that close. We're still just dating."

"And he scares you?" Beck's eyebrows shifted up and he leaned his head back, frowning at Trina. Jason sat beside Trina and she turned her head up to look into his eyes. "But you stay with him."

"I don't understand why, either Jason." She moved her hand up to his chest and held it there as he cupped it with his hand. "I don't want to be with him, I know that, but…" Jason furrowed his brow and closed his eyes, sighing as he pushed her hand down.

"I can't let you cheat on the guy." Trina smiled slightly and nodded. Beck was impressed, even though he knew Ahriman was hardly a man, it was good to see this guy wasn't going to make a move on Trina if she was with somebody else. "I mean…" Jason looked into her eyes and shrugged. "I'm tempted, yes, don't get me wrong. You're beautiful, and I care about you, but-"

"You respect me. That's good." Trina lowered her mug to her lap and closed her eyes. "I still love you, after all this time, I just…you know, if it wasn't for being with Sinjin…"

"I know."

"I think I need to go." Trina stood up and set the empty mug down on the coffee table. "Tori's got her friends over, so I just want to make sure everything's all right." Jason raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Since when do you concern yourself with them?" Beck pulled back and rolled his eyes, he wasn't surprised by the question, but he would have liked to think that Trina had a better opinion of them.

He thought for a moment and leaned back, sighing as he spoke to himself. "It's going to be difficult to explain to her how I'm her uncle." He didn't know if Ahriman already knew this detail or not, but if not, then he was certain to have an advantage.

"I don't," Trina stated, "But I don't know…They're not terrible."

"Right. So, will you be alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Trina held her place for a moment before heading for the door. Beck ducked behind a nearby shrub bush and waited for her to leave. His primary concern here was talking to Jason, so Trina could head back home. There was a chance he could get Jason to help with convincing Trina that there was more at stake than she realized.

They approached the door and Trina turned to Jason. "Thanks for talking with me." He gave her a nod and Beck studied him closely. There was a great deal of emotion in this man's eyes, and a strong compassion that he had for Trina. This was good news, especially since she should be happy.

"Will you be able to get home on your own? I can drive you back if you'd like."

"I shouldn't. It'll be fine, though, I can take care of myself." She chuckled dryly and shrugged. "What's one little supernatural experience, anyway?" Beck rolled his eyes and sank further in the bushes once the front door opened up.

He watched with a new sense of protectiveness inside, smiling as Trina made her way down the street. "That's my niece," he said again, almost trying to believe it himself. When it was clear, he ran to his car and grabbed an old yearbook, then hurried to the porch.

Jason answered within a minute of striking the doorbell, and the man was startled to see Beck. "We need to talk, you and I." Beck walked inside and Jason raised an eyebrow at him. "It's about Trina."

"You're Sinjin's friend, aren't you? You should know that I'm not-" Beck stopped him with the wave of his hand, then turned to face the man.

"I have to ask. Didn't she date you first?" He sat on the couch and dropped the yearbook to his lap. His arms spread out over the top edge and his lip tucked into a bright smirk. Jason stared suspiciously and approached slowly. "She's running to you, so she still has feelings for you, and I'm thinking you still care for her."

"Yeah."

"And I expect you would protect her."

Jason crossed his arms and swayed to the right, furrowing his brow. "What's this about, Beck?" Beck grabbed his yearbook and held it up, showing the year, 1991, off to him. Jason's arms fell to the sides and his chest expanded as Beck opened to the page where Sinjin's photo was.

"Take a look." He extended the book and wagged his eyebrows. "Top second row, left page." Jason took the book and Beck crossed his arms, holding his smirk and studying the man with slanted eyes.

To his delight, he saw the color of Jason's skin grow deathly pale. "I don't understand." Jason looked up at him and narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

"Sinjin Van Cleef." He planted his palm firmly on his chest and cleared away the tension in his throat. "Was my best friend. He died months before Damian Parker shot up our school." Jason paused for several seconds, then closed the book, keeping his thumb placed between the pages. The man closed his eyes and started to chuckle.

"Yeah, right. Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Beck snapped his fingers and pointed to the book. He knew without a doubt what page to turn to next. He could talk up a storm all he wanted, but nothing was going to be as powerful as this book. "Page 150. Turn to it."

"You-okay, I'll play your game." Jason's eyebrow arched and he began thumbing through the pages. Beck's lips curled apart, revealing his toothy grin. The book's cover rested neatly atop Jason's palms and the man stared down at the page with widening eyes. "What is this?"

"Well, speaking of uncles." He brought his left ankle up to his right knee and spread his arms back across the top of the couch. "That's old Erwin's class. I should say, Mr. Sikowitz. Take a look at some of the familiar faces, do you recognize anyone?"

"That is what I'm trying to understand." Jason's eyes began to follow the words on the page. His mouth moved slowly and he uttered the names of those that he read. "Andre, Robbie, Cat, Jade, and…Beck Oliver?" Beck clapped his hands together and leaned forward.

"All somebody has to do is look in the damn yearbook. Forty-five people died, cursed to rot, and only twenty-six remain." Beck glanced to the bulging papers beneath the last page and frowned. "A long time ago, I put an envelope in that yearbook. It's stuffed with photos and newspaper clippings to remind myself of that day." Jason turned to the back cover and nearly dropped the aged manila folder. He caught it in his hand and shifted his gaze over to Beck. "Take a look."

"This is insane."

"Maybe, but you believe in the supernatural. You're also clearly in love with my niece…" Jason's eyebrows shot up and his lips separated. Beck closed his eyes and brought his hand up over his mouth. "Don't worry, I've only just found out. But knowing that bit means that I can use your help."

Jason muttered for a bit and pulled the photos and clippings from the folder. When he looked at the top photo, his already pale skin continued to grow whiter. Beck took a deep breath and walked over, staring down at the picture.

It was of himself, lying on the floor with a wound in his chest and blood seeping from his body, only to pool around him. His once long brown hair was now stringy and coated with blood, and his eyes remained open and focused on the unreachable sky above.

It took his breath away, even after all these years, and made his death seem all the more real. A heaviness descended on his heart and he tentatively took the photo from the pile in the man's hands.

"Twenty years and it's still hard to look at it." Beck snorted and gazed at the cold and empty eyes in the photo. "They always say Columbine was the worst, or maybe they mention that Brenda Spencer woman from the 1970's. We're always the forgotten ones, Los Angeles doesn't want to remember when a gunman shot up one of their own."

At this point anybody would start to run, but Jason was still there, much to Beck's joy. He could feel the man's eyes on him, studying and questioning him. "Now, Jason. Let's talk about Trina." He pushed the photos into the folder and returned it to its place in the yearbook. "She might be in danger."

"What are you?" Beck rolled over to the couch, keeping a calm and quiet demeanor as Jason's voice rose. "If you're the person in those photos, then what the hell are you?" Jason walked forward, pointing to the yearbook. "My uncle still lives, you're still walking around-why is that?"

"Because we're cursed, Jason." Beck sat down and perched his elbows on his knees. His fingertips tapped together before his face and his lips separated to allow a small intake of air. "I made a shoddy deal with a grim reaper, and it ended up backfiring on me. So all of our souls are bound to our rotting corpses-which yes, Trina is sadly able to see." He raised an eyebrow. "Our souls are doomed to hell unless we can find a way to break that curse, but sadly the one medium that can do that…is in the grip of the reaper who cursed us."

"I don't understand. You're looking for a medium?"

"First, I'm looking to get Trina away from Ahriman. He's the reaper, and he is the one possessing the corpse of my former friend. Sinjin died of an illness, you can find his grave in the Los Angeles Cemetery."

Jason still didn't appear to believe, or if he did, he was doubting the entire story. Struck with an idea, Beck was able to convince Jason to take a look.

They drove out to the cemetery, and while walking, Beck noticed Jason looking around at the ghosts that were roaming the grounds. "You can see them?" Jason snapped his gaze back onto Beck and shrugged. "Can you see the decay on my body?"

"No I can't, and as for 'them', I have never been able to see ghosts. Or at least, full body apparitions, like what Trina says she sees, but I do see something. I get an uneasy feeling being here."

"I wonder if one of your parents was a medium."

"Mom always talked about seeing strange things, but she never discussed it." From what he understood, Jason's mother was Mr. Sikowitz's sister. Even before death, Sikowitz always talked about visions, so it made sense to him, that the teacher's sister might have been a medium. In which case, he did recall hearing that Sikowitz's father died early in his life.

He chuckled to himself and brushed his fingers through his hair. "Great. You're the grandson of another cursed soul." Jason fell silent and crossed his arms. "Listen to me Jason, a medium is someone born to a cursed dead and a living. Although, two dead can bear a child together, it is extremely rare and somewhat impossible." He turned his head and met Jason's confused eyes. "Honestly, Jade and I have been at it twenty years and she's never borne a child. I'm kind of glad about that, because how are we going to bring a child into the world like that? Then how do you explain to that child that your parent died twenty years before they were born."

Beck sat down on a stone bench and motioned to the grave in front of him, however his attention was on a monument several paces away. As Jason approached Sinjin's grave, Beck concentrated on a marble stone angel that stood atop a tall pillar with over forty names on the front plaque.

Upon the crest of the Angel's stony armor was the year of their death. Immortalized forever, but the only clue that remained of the bloodshed.

Beside him, Jason knelt at Sinjin's grave and carefully ran his trembling fingers over the letters and numbers.

Tears flew from Beck's eyes and he felt as though he were being torn apart by the mere presence of that stone angel. "Since the dawn of time, people have tried to broker deals with the Grim Reaper. He very much exists, but not as a single person, but a unit of reapers who work together to send souls to Heaven or to Hell. There's an abundance of rogue reapers who will take the conditions of a deal being proposed…that's how you know they're a bad reaper, because a good one will never make a deal with the dead. I didn't know that."

"And?"

"I cursed everyone that died that day." He looked back to Jason and frowned as Brittney's haunting cry pierced the night sky. Jason looked over his shoulder, his eyebrows had come together and his mouth was twisted into a deep frown. "I spoke with an old medium who said she cannot do a thing to help us, a fresh medium is needed. I don't know what is done to get a medium to free our souls, but if she can…so be it…"

"My uncle." Jason pushed himself up and looked to the monument. As he approached it, Beck stared up at the head of the angel and felt a chilling breeze run across his face. "My uncle's name is up here."

He shifted his gaze back to Jason and smiled sadly as the man's hand rested atop Sikowitz's name.

"None of this makes any sense, but it's the only way to explain how you're all still walking around." Jason's hand fell away from the plaque and he looked back suddenly. "You said twenty-six of you remain. Why not forty-five?"

"Ahriman has claimed many of our souls over the years. That's what making a deal with a bad reaper is going to do, you're cursed until your tenure is up. When your time is up, he comes back and devours your soul." Beck closed his eyes and continued to try and forget the image of Brittney's body wasting away. "He took his most recent victim tonight. A girl that was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Damian came storming through."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she shouldn't have been at Hollywood Arts. She was Rex's girlfriend and was visiting him from out of town. She died in the explosion-the heart of it all." His stomach dropped and his knuckles turned white as he gripped his knees. "I need your help getting Trina away from Ahriman. She doesn't know how much danger she's in."

Jason's lips flattened together and he nodded seriously while sliding his hand out to gesture at Sinjin's grave. "If Sinjin's dead, then whatever is walking around isn't human. What does Ahriman want from her?"

"Control. Keeping her away from us, and us from her." Beck rose from the bench. He thought over his sister and shook his head. "I didn't realize it, but she's my sister's kid. Lisa died in an armed robbery…I guess she made a deal with a reaper, because she was gone during childbirth. The reaper took her."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, you understand I can't let Ahriman mess with Trina even more now." Jason responded with a harsh and silent nod. Beck crossed his arms and shut his eyes. "You don't need to try and convince Trina to get away from him, but just be there for her when she comes to you. I'll take care of the rest…you just be a supporter."

"Yeah. I can do that."

"Good." He began walking back to the car, planning his next move. He wanted to return to Janan and ask about what he'd discovered, with Jason being the son of a medium. Very likely he couldn't do much because he wasn't fully one, but it was definitely something of an advantage.

Now the only issue was getting Trina to understand and accept what was going on. No doubt, it would be a slightly easier task now that he'd gotten Jason on his side. The more accepting and willing to believe in all of this that Jason was, then the more likely Trina would be able to accept it.

* * *

><p>The wheels are in motion, things are picking up. What are your thoughts on this chapter, please do tell<p> 


	13. Treacherous Path

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 13 (Treacherous Path)<p>

Later that evening, Beck convinced Tori to hang out with everyone outside while he remained in the living room and in the recliner. He had his legs crossed and was staring at the wall straight across from him. The clock chimed away at the time, signaling when David would return home from work.

Below, on the ground, the friends had done well to clean up the dust left over by Brittney. For Beck, the blemish was still there, chipping away at his core. He knew if he didn't act fast, the dust and ash would become his friends, it would become Jade, it would become _him._ Already, a reaper clearly claimed his sister.

He sneered at the blemish and scoffed at the thought that he too should be claimed by a reaper. However he ended up didn't matter to him so much as ensuring that neither Trina or his friends should suffer at the hands of a dangerous entity.

"Right on time," Beck whispered as he heard the door slide open. The hinges squeaked loudly and Beck smirked as the heavy footsteps departed from the closing door. "You should really oil those hinges, David." The man passed him and stopped midway, then turned his gaze over his shoulder.

"Excuse me?" Beck turned his eyes up, meeting the man's stern gaze. He didn't want to be disrespectful, but at the same time, he no longer felt a need to address this man as if he were his superior. They were now equals. "Where do you get off thinking that we're on a first name basis right now?"

"Because I know for a fact that you know _exactly_ who I am. You just have to stop denying it." David's eyebrow rose and he turned around fully. Beck lowered his hands to the armrests and let his eyelids fall halfway. "Now where do I begin? You slept with my sister, got her knocked up, and you haven't told Trina about her birth family-or even let her meet them You slept with my sister, got her knocked up, and you haven't told Trina about her birth family-or even let her meet them."

David brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest. His nostrils spread apart and his brow furrowed. "What am I to do, Beck? The minute I take her to see Lisa's father and she asks not only about the location of the house where you live, but that her uncle mysteriously looks exactly like one of her sister's closest friends?"

Beck's heart thrust up into his throat and his fingers tightened around the cushioned edge of the armrests. "So you don't deny knowing the truth." David dropped his arms with a heavy sigh.

"Of course not." David undid the tie around his neck and walked to the couch. "And I've already told Trina that her mother isn't Holly. She's still processing and hasn't asked much, so I've been trying to prepare for when those questions do come." The man took a seat and leaned forward, resting his forearms over his knees. "And when Tori met you and the other friends of yours, I always knew who you were and what you are. What was I supposed to say?"

"I don't know." There was never a good way to tell somebody that their friends are dead. "Hell, even I don't know how I'd approach that situation." Beck leaned into the back of the chair and shook his head. "That guy Trina's dating is also dead, by the way, but he's not cursed like we are. He's possessed by a reaper." David's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up.

"What?"

"I have no idea how to protect her from him. She's also the key in freeing all of us, but first…because she's Lisa's daughter, I want to save her from that monster." He paused momentarily and brought his hand up to his face, curling his finger around his lips. "Was Ahriman the reaper? Her reaper…" David's brow furrowed and he leaned back, sliding his fingers along the sides of his legs as he did so.

"No. I don't recognize that name. Lisa mentioned the name several times. Vlad." Beck leaned his head to the right and frowned. He couldn't recognize the name either, so it was likely a reaper he never met, but surely Ahriman knew of him. "If it's not the same reaper, then why is he after Trina?"

"I think it's because she can free us. She's a medium, born from Lisa after she was cursed. That means she's able to communicate with the supernatural or something, and I don't know how, but she can break our curse." David moved his hand up and covered his mouth.

The man's eyes closed and his forehead began to crumple like paper, tensing with the rest of his body. "I remember…" Beck remained silent as David pulled his hand away from his face. "Holding Lisa in my arms that day. I should have ran after the person that shot her, but I let him get away and-" David chuckled dryly and looked off to the right. His eyes glistened with fresh tears that stunned Beck to witness. "She scolded me for that. She was dying, and she scolded me because I wasn't going after the criminal."

Beck smiled sadly and bowed his head. "Yeah, that's just like Lisa." David's body trembled violently and the mountainous man dropped his head into his hands. Beck listened sorely as the man's voice broke apart.

"I felt her go. She died in my arms, and I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything to save her. Then…when she opened her eyes, I-I didn't know what to think. I knew she was gone, there was no question she was gone."

Beck cleared his throat and brought his hand to the bottom of his neck, curling his fingers over the collar of his shirt. "When did she tell you?" David looked up and frowned at him. "About the curse? When did she tell you she was cursed?"

"It was after she became pregnant. She told me she wasn't going to be around for the baby." He sniffed at the man and slid his fingers down to his chin. "I tried to protect Trina. From all of this, I didn't know how all of this would affect her. Seeing you, seeing your friends, I didn't know what it meant. I don't know how to protect her anymore."

"By being her father." Beck dropped his hands to his jeans and sucked in a heavy breath of air. "Sinjin Van Cleef is long dead, and a reaper desecrates his corpse, demolishes his memory. Trina herself is scared of the man, and the man she loves who loves her will do nothing to let her cheat on someone she dates-because he feels it's something that she wouldn't be able to live with herself for. She doesn't know how much danger she's in, because she doesn't know that the man she's dating shouldn't even be here."

"What do you expect me to do? Tell her she can't date the guy? Wouldn't that just make her want to stay with him? She's always been one to do the opposite of whatever I tell her not to do." Beck laughed lightly, recalling his sister's personality. It seemed Trina took more after Lisa than he initially realized.

"We have to show her that Ahriman is a danger. A threat." Beck pointed to where Brittney had fallen and waited for David to follow the gesture. "He came buy here earlier with one of the girls who died during that massacre, cursed because _I _made a deal with the reaper. He took her soul, she turned to dust on this very spot."

David tensed and his eyes flicked up to a small object on the ceiling. "Being a cop, I've secured this house with security cameras just in case anybody ever broke in. Do you think the reaper would show up on camera?" Beck grinned and clapped his hands once while staring at the camera.

"Only if he's possessing a physical body when doing so."

"Then hold on for a minute."

Beck nodded and held his breath as David rushed into the hallway and emerged seconds later with a silver laptop. He waited with baited breath as David opened the computer and hurried to access the day's security footage.

"It was around three or four, I believe. "

"Okay." He leaned over, peering at the screen. When he saw his friends sitting idly around the poker table, he felt every muscle in his body tense. "That's the time." David nodded carefully and pointed to a strange vapor near the couch. Beck's heart dropped and he looked away from the computer just as the vapor took shape. "That's him."

The footage had sound, but it wasn't needed. Beck knew every word that was said, and every action. His breathing grew heavier as the scene continued to play out. David's horrified gaze turned to the spot where Brittney had been, then visibly he cringed.

"There are some things a person should never see." David leaned towards the computer and hummed. He was fixated on something, but Beck had no clue what caught his attention. "Out of curiosity, Beck, is Jade pregnant by any chance?" He froze and let out a subtle laugh.

"That's impossible. Both of us are dead. Twenty years and she's never been pregnant."

"No? Cause she's holding her stomach like she is." Beck furrowed his brow and hurried over to the couch to see what it was David was looking at. The footage was paused and David was pointing to Jade, who was sitting at the table. "Right here she's got her hand on her stomach and is looking down."

"She doesn't get sick often, but it's possible she's sick." Jade's face was shrouded by her hair in the image. David continued the footage and Beck watched in horror as Jade rose to her feet, still holding her stomach. Her eyes bore a look of pain, and there was a clear trail of sweat running down her face as she opened her mouth to scream at Ahriman. "She's under a lot of stress in this."

"Yeah, but I remember how Lisa described her pregnancy. She could hardly tell, but when she was stressed out, the pain was excruciating." David pulled his hand from the laptop and looked over. "If it's as rare as you say for two cursed to have a child, then she may not even know herself."

Beck was numb from the shock and turned his attention to the glass doors leading out into the back. A shallow feeling swept over him and his lips pressed tight against each other. "If she is…"

He couldn't fathom how terrible this could be. If he didn't break the curse, then Ahriman would claim both Jade and the baby, but if he did break the curse, the baby would live with the horror of knowing its parents were both dead.

"It could just be a stomach virus. There's no way…after twenty years…" Looking through the glass door, he saw Jade sitting on one of the lawn chairs. She looked up at him and smiled, then waved. He waved in return, but couldn't bring himself to smile. "What the hell am I going to do if that isn't a stomach virus?"

"Kind of puts you on hot coals." David closed the laptop and frowned at the door. "Beck, I have to ask, do you want me to drive Trina over to your father?" Beck turned his head slowly and his lips stretched back into his cheeks. "I know it's going to be difficult to explain things to her, especially if she sees anything to indicate that you're there."

"Do what you have to. I'll figure something out. One way or another, I'll figure this mess out." He looked back to Jade and a heavy breath fell from his lips. "I wonder if Ahriman would claim that baby's soul." David shrugged and hung his right elbow over the couch.

"Unless that baby dies in the womb or on the delivery table, I don't see how. The baby is a soul that wasn't cursed. From what Lisa told me years ago, a reaper can't take that which isn't dead or cursed."

His mouth fell apart and he snapped his fingers. "You're right, he can't." He felt a rush of excitement and began to grin. "Which also means that the only thing Ahriman can do to Trina is use his powers to keep her from seeing or believing anything. He also cannot back out of his contract-and in his contract with me-we are the last people that will lose our souls to him. We have the advantage."

"Lisa also told me something else." Beck turned partially as David set the computer on the cushion beside him. "A reaper's mortal enemy is a ghost. A spirit. Especially spirits that have already crossed over, but ghosts of somebody who refuses to cross because of unfinished work…a reaper can do nothing to them. They will destroy him, but they need someone to lead them-"

"A medium."

"Yeah."

"But destroying Ahriman doesn't break the curse. It just kills him, and leaves us eternally bound to our corpses." He still had to go to Janan and figure out exactly what was needed to be done, but the mystic wasn't going to talk to him about it. She explicitly asked for Trina. "There's a mystic that knows something about all of this, but she will only talk to Trina. I need to get Trina to accept that she is a medium, though."

"I might be able to help with that, but I'll need some time yet."

"I know. I even have Jason helping to support. It's not easy now, knowing we have to hurry…" It wasn't yet an impossible task, especially since he was sure Trina was already beginning to open up to the supernatural.

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><p>So some pretty scary news here. Good thing is David knows and understands what's going on, bad thing is Beck is now on hot coals.<p> 


	14. Doubt and Uncertainty

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Because I ended up semi-spoiling this chapter as a result of some confusion, and because this chapter is short, I'm posting it now before I head off to class.

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><p>Chapter 14 (Doubt and Uncertainty)<p>

"I can't believe you're making me do this." Jade leaned into Beck, placing her head on his shoulder. Four white walls surrounded them. "What's the doctor going to say, Beck? It's just a stomach sickness." He looked down as her hand wrapped around his. He gave her a gentle squeeze and kissed the top of her head.

"How long have you felt the sickness, Jade?" He had to know how long this had been going on, because it could give them clues on how far along she was. "If you are pregnant, we need to hurry up and get Trina away from Ahriman." Jade released his hold and folded her hands on her stomach.

"We're both dead, how the hell would a baby be alive in here? You would need living sperm, or I'd need living eggs. There's no way, I'm telling you."

"But against all odds, even if there's the tiniest chance…" He put an arm around her shoulders and she pulled her gaze up into his, whimpering once. "Then that small sliver of a chance can still come up."

"I know, I just…I'm scared." She put her head to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He moved his arms around her and felt a tiny shiver run through her body. He desperately wanted to give her some words of encouragement, but he didn't know what to say.

"I'm scared too. If it's true, then this is just more reason to fight." It was hell coming to the doctor in the first place. They needed to use fake names, but even then the doctor didn't sound convinced. "I don't know what we'll tell the doctor, either." She kissed his jawline and he looked down into her worried and fearful gaze. He lowered his voice to a whisper, hoping his calm voice could reassure her. "It's going to be okay, Jade."

"How? Why?" The door slid open and he felt Jade's body tense up. Beck looked over to see a tall, sharp-nosed man in a white coat holding a clipboard. Jade lifted her head and mustered up a vague smile. "Dr. Williamson. What's the um…" The doctor scratched at his bald head and looked up at her.

"I want to perform an ultrasound right now. The results came back positive." Jade clutched her chest and looked up at Beck, letting out a sharp whine. He closed his eyes and his nostrils opened as a slow, calming breath descended from them. "There were some oddities that I detected in your urine as well, I'm not sure if the abnormalities are a sign of trouble."

Beck stood and helped Jade to her feet, placing his hand to her back to keep her steady. She was grasping his left hand so tightly that he thought she was trying to tear it off. "Okay Dr. Williamson." He looked at the man and took a deep breath. "Where do we go to do the ultrasound."

"Yes, well, follow me." He led them into a nearby testing room and Beck had to help his nervous girlfriend up on the examination table after changing into her gown. The minute her back touched the steel, she complained about the cold.

He sat beside her, clutching her hand and grooming her hair as the doctor and his nurses prepared the jelly and machine. "Beck?" He wiped her tears with his thumb and smiled at her. She was breathing heavily, trembling out her frightened gasps. "I-I'm pregnant? I can't be-what about…"

"Shh." He caressed her cheek and leaned over, kissing her on the forehead. "We're going to figure this out." He couldn't let her see the terror he felt, not with her in the state she was in. "We'll be okay."

"Beck, who's going to watch our baby?"

"We'll figure it out." He shifted his eyes up as the doctor rolled over with the tools. Jade turned her head to the computer and swallowed as the man placed the jelly on her stomach.

When the image of a fetus appeared on the screen, he was struck with awe. His eyes widened and a smile turned up on his face. "That's rather odd," Dr. Williamson stated, "Have you experienced no signs of pregnancy?" Jade's body relaxed and Beck saw her gaze fixated on the child. "You are in the later stages of pregnancy, and your child is incredibly small."

"Is that bad?" Jade whined and continued to crush Beck's hand once more as she looked wildly at the doctor. "What does that mean?" Dr. Williamson chuckled and flashed a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, the baby shows signs of development. Albeit slower development, I would say you're easily in your twenty-eighth week." Beck's heart stalled momentarily and he brought his free hand up to his mouth. It was around that time that they'd been stressed out with a variety of things, and sex was calming, so they had been more active than usual. Now he understood, but it was a scary thought that Jade was so close to when she could give birth. "Still, I have absolutely no idea how you could have gone this far without experiencing any signs."

"I experienced some symptoms," Jade admitted, "But I didn't think they were in relation to a pregnancy. I didn't know that I could get pregnant. A lot of times I thought it was just sickness." Jade looked at the screen with a smile and fresh tears fell along her cheeks. "But, a baby? I'm going to be a mama, and I-" She fell silent and started to sob.

The doctor decided to give them a moment alone, taking his nurses out to discuss their next move. Jade placed her fingers on the screen and curled her left hand over her chest.

Beck moved a hand over hers and gazed at the subtle movements of the baby inside. "What's the matter, baby?" Jade pulled her hand away and looked up at him.

"I-I don't know. The thought that I'm going to have a baby, but knowing that I won't be able to raise her. Will your dad take her?"

"I don't think he has any plans to raise another child." Nor was Kyle in the position to do so. He did wonder if Henry could, but Jade's dad had failing health.

Before they could talk any further, the door flew open, startling them both. His eyes flew over and froze on Trina, now panting in the doorway and glaring with narrow eyes. "Is this some sort of joke?" Trina asked. He furrowed his brow and kept silent as she approached them. "My birth mother, your sister? How in the hell are you sixteen or seventeen."

"This really isn't the time, Trina."

"I know it's not the time, but strange shit keeps happening, and somehow you're at the center of it all!" Beck looked past her to see a line of hospital ghosts standing outside the door. "You want to know how I found you? Ask the things following me, if you see them."

"I see them." He kissed Jade's forehead, then turned around to face Trina. Despite the poor timing, he knew this moment had to be due to David taking her to meet her grandfather. She needed answers, so screw whatever anyone else was doing. "And you can see our decay, I presume."

"I don't know what this is about, and I don't think I can even attempt to understand what the hell is going on." Trina looked at the monitor next to Jade and the tension in her body faded. She frowned and raised her eyebrows up. "Jade? You're pregnant?" Jade looked over and sniffled.

"Yeah, I'm scared."

"Why?" Trina walked over to the bed and looked at the screen. "It looks like a beautiful baby. Jason showed me the yearbook, and…if that's all true, and somehow you're dead-I don't understand at all-how do you have a baby?"

"That is a very good question."

Trina swept her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes. "I can't understand. I looked at that picture at my grandfather's house for so long, studying for what seemed to be an eternity." Trina looked at Beck and her brow furrowed. "There's no mistaking it, but those pictures are old."

"It is a lot to take in," Beck muttered, "And there's no easy way to explain it. You kind of have to be ready to hear it though, or else you won't actually believe it."

Jade put her hand to her belly and closed her eyes. "He's right." Trina glanced back at the woman and crossed her arms. "You were born in a very similar way, and because of that, you can see things that others can't." Jade looked at the screen and pressed her lips together. "This baby is going to grow up the same way, but I don't know if she'll survive childbirth."

"Are you saying that my mother was one of you?" Trina looked distressed and glanced back to the ghosts in the hallway. "Is that the reason I can see things? Or is all of this just my imagination?" Trina sniffed the air and closed her eyes, groaning lightly. "Because Sinjin tells me it is." Beck started to protest, but bit his tongue.

To his shock, it was Jade that spoke up, first scoffing. "Sinjin tells you it's your imagination? Funny, because Sinjin died before we did." Trina's eyes widened and she took a small step back. Beck whistled under his breath and shook his head.

"Poor timing," he whispered, "Very poor timing."

"What are you saying? That he's one of you too?"

"Not exactly." He sighed and crossed his arms. This was not how he envisioned the conversation going at all, but he had no choice. "You're being deceived if you think that's Sinjin passed away in February of 1991. Months before Damian killed us."

"No." Trina began to tremble. She took a step back, stumbling over a cord on the ground. "That's not possible. He doesn't even look like you-there's no decay on his body, no odor. He's not dead."

"It's not him." He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "His corpse is possessed by the reaper that cursed us."

"Reaper? What's a reaper?" She stumbled over her words and wrapped her arms around her stomach. "I don't understand." Beck rolled his head to the right and exhaled loudly.

"Good ones guide your soul over to the spirit realm. Bad ones, like Ahriman, will make contract deals with the dead. The dead that makes a deal usually ends up with their soul devoured by the reaper." Trina's eyes flickered with fear and recognition, but of what he didn't know. "The Sinjin I know was a good man, a good friend. He was one of my best friends, along with Damian, but when he died…I guess we grieved differently. I avoided Damian and he thought I wanted nothing more to do with him, throw into combination all the shit he was dealing with and well, you might know the tale…"

"And you expect me to believe that a grim reaper is possessing him?"

"I don't expect you to believe anything." He shrugged and looked over to Jade momentarily. "Believe what you will, Trina." He was well aware she needed time to process, so there was nothing more he could say to her on the subject. "Just be careful around him, because mark my words, that is not Sinjin."

She left without another word and he closed his eyes, listening as Jade questioned why he was just letting her leave. After a few seconds he opened his eyelids partially and shrugged.

"She has to see it on her own, Jade."

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><p>And see she will, she is heading out to see for herself, but what she encounters and experiences is truly something supernatural. Well, what about this chapter? It looks like Jade hit the proverbial rare bucket, so do you think that child will survive? What do you think will or should happen for the child, knowing what both parents' fate will be. What do you think Trina's going to encounter when she reaches-I shouldn't say Sinjin's house-but Ahriman's lair, haha.<p> 


	15. You Must Believe

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Don't ask, just read and enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 15 ('You Must Believe')<p>

Trina approached Sinjin's home with a growing concern for her welfare. She wanted answers, but she also wanted some sort of comfort that this man wasn't secretly some sort of malicious creature.

On some strange compulsion she'd texted Jason to let him know what was going on, but if Beck and Jade were right, there was no way he'd be able to protect her against something sinister and dark. "None of this is real. It can't be." If she accepted this, then she had to accept that Beck Oliver was her uncle and truly several years older than her. This would make Jade her aunt, and that child inside of her was to be her cousin. "None of this makes any sense."

She left her car and moved up to the front door. After striking the doorbell, she waited in vain for him to answer. "Answer and prove I haven't dated a monster for the last couple of months. Prove to me that I haven't left Jason alone for nothing." She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, thinking back to Jason and how strong her desire to run into his arms was. All she had to do was leave Sinjin to be with him, but he still had that hold on her that wouldn't let her go.

The door cracked open and Trina raised her eyebrows. There was nothing behind the door to open it. Her heart began its heavy pounding as a strange force pulled her inside the freezing living room.

Across the way she saw a girl around her sister's age. This girl had long blonde hair, glasses, and an incredibly thin figure. Her eyes were dark and a blistering rash covered her from head to toe. Trina threw her hands up to her mouth and swallowed the rush of bile that threatened to purge from her mouth.

"Sinjin isn't home," The girl stated meekly, "Please leave." The girl's eyes were hollow sockets, but yet she was looking right at Trina. "It's dangerous for you to be here." Her hand dropped to her chest as she studied the blood that flowed down the girl's arms and dripped from her nails.

"W-Who are you?" This had to be his sister, but she couldn't be sure. The last she saw Courtney, she resembled a normal human girl.

"I am Courtney Van Cleef. Cursed to a tormented corpse and riddled with nightmares of my sin, I will never be free and I will never die."

"That can't be." Despite her better judgment, she approached the girl and reached out to her. "Don't you know it's okay to let yourself go?"

"I can't. I just wanted my brother back." Courtney turned and rushed down a hallway. Trina felt an overwhelming tension and started to turn away, but was struck with a powerful urge to follow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Maybe she has answers." Trina walked down the hallway, pushing against the haunting visions that were hitting her. These visions were of a young blonde girl with a book, standing before her brother's grave. _"Don't tell me witchcraft exists too."_

When she reached the room, she caught Courtney sitting on a bed with her back to the wall. The room was decorated with a variety of items and posters reminiscent of the early 90's and late 80s.

Courtney's arms were around her legs and she was whimpering violently, and muttering words without realization that Trina was standing in the doorway. "Don't leave the room, he told me never to leave this room. Don't talk to people, never talk. Cursed, I'm cursed. Mommy and daddy died because of me. Not my brother, brother never came back Evil. Evil. Evil."

Trina held her breath and clutched the doorknob with a tight grasp. Her grief turned to horror as Courtney looked up at her with a wide open mouth and large soulless eyes.

"She can't see." Trina froze and glanced to the right. Sinjin was standing in the room, but this wasn't the human form she was used to. Rather, he had a bright yellow aura around his body and seemed to be glowing white from a light inside of his body. This light shone in place of his eyes and mouth. "She sees you. I need you to let me in."

"W-What?"

Sinjin turned towards her and approached, his feet now hovered over the ground and his arms were stretched out to the sides. "You are a medium. I need to communicate to my sister, I need her to hear me."

"No! I don't know what that feels like." She took a step back and whimpered as he continued his approach. "You're not a regular ghost?"

"I am a spirit that has already crossed over." Sinjin turned his head slowly and pointed to Courtney. "I can release her. I can take her soul back, bring her to freedom, but I need you."

"Why?"

"It is the only way to get her to see." Trina swallowed hard and looked at the trembling girl, who was still staring at her with the same hollow and empty eyes. She was terrified of letting a ghost in, much less a spirit that had already crossed over. "A medium is in tune with the spirit realm, don't you see? The only way we can connect is through a medium, but you must allow it. But only a medium, this connection will not work with a regular human."

"How will this save her? Then when you say to let you inside-what does that mean? Will it hurt?"

"It does not hurt the medium."

"I don't know how to do this, but…okay…" She closed her eyes and trembled as the spirit approached her.

A cooling sensation came over her, washing over her anxious nerves and relaxing her body. Instinctively her spirit wanted to fight this new spirit, and somehow she became aware that this spirit had to be quick otherwise she'd purge him out.

Her eyelids shot open and white light shone from them, erasing her pupils. Her body began to move without her control, approaching the girl on the bed. Courtney leaned away and turned her head around, whimpering as Trina's hand moved onto the teenager's shoulder. A white glow over took her body, flowing down like a magnificent waterfall.

All of time seemed to cease and she watched a scene unfold in her mind, only semi aware that it was taking place in the bedroom where Courtney now lay unconscious.

Sinjin stood before his sister, who was curled up in fetal position on the ground. "Courtney. It's time to come home. Mom and Dad are waiting." Courtney looked up, no longer covered in rashes. She looked as though she had when she was alive, but bore a vicious sadness in her eyes.

"I can't go. I'm cursed."

"You are cursed by your own guilt. You fear that which you shouldn't." Courtney looked away from him, too ashamed to make contact. "It's time to come home."

"I did a bad thing. I tried to bring you back, brother. All I ended up doing was summoning that reaper, and he took over your body. He took over your body and used his powers to kill mom and dad. He cursed me to my corpse, brother."

"The thing he uses to hold you in place is your guilt. Be free of your guilt and understand this…" Sinjin knelt beside her and placed his hand onto her shoulder. "I forgive you." Courtney looked up at him and spat out a loud sob. "You were hurting. You know now that you cannot bring the dead to life, what is dead is meant to be dead."

"I can't go. Mom and Dad are angry with me."

"They're waiting for you. Don't you see them? Ahriman tore out your eyes, but you should be able to see now." Two figures of light appeared behind Courtney, causing the girl to look back at them. They were humanoid, and their arms were spread apart in the form of a hug. Trina recognized them as Miguel and Nina Van Cleef. "They have never been angry with you. They await you, but please, I do not have long before my connection through the medium breaks. She does not yet have control over her capability."

"You really aren't mad at me?" Courtney rose up and turned towards her parents. "You all…forgive me?" The girl began to sob as her parents approached her and threw their arms around her. "I love you. I miss you."

"Then come home with us, we're ready to bring your soul across." Trina saw for the first time the shackles around Courtney's ankles. She watched as the spirits reached down and touched the chains that bound her. Cracks appeared to grow and shoot across them, shattering them almost instantly. "It's time to come home baby sister, linger no longer. Ahriman's power is not stronger than ours, he can no longer bind you."

"I'm ready to come home, brother…" Courtney smiled at Sinjin and put her hand in his. She wiped her eyes and pulled herself close to him, sniveling as he looked over. Trina could see he was looking at her, though she was not taking form.

"Thank you, Medium. Tell Beck and Damian, do not blame themselves for anything. They all need your help, you must listen-you must believe…"

Trina opened her eyes and gasped out, clutching her chest tightly as she dropped to her knees. The connection was broken, whether by force or by will. She looked frantically at the empty bed. "She's gone? Courtney's gone?"

Processing what just occurred, Trina grabbed a nearby desk and pulled herself up. There was a thin layer of ash left over where Courtney's body had been. "Freed? She's freed? Did I…" Trina looked at her hands and took a step back.

She felt a pressing urge to run, so she followed her instinct and made a beeline for the front door. When she saw Sinjin in the doorway, she froze and stared at this corpse with an incredible fear.

His face bore the angriest, evil expression, and his lips were twisted into a virulent snarl. "What have you done?" The man approached her, his fists tightened and the muscles in his arms bulged. "Do you have any inclination of what you've done?"

"I-I…" She looked past him and continued to back herself up against a wall. When he reached the center, she shot past him, rushing to the door. Before reaching it, she felt a sudden force stop her. He was standing behind her, his arm outstretched and his fingers were curled with the tips pointing at her. "What are you doing?"

"Spiritually I cannot end your life, Medium." Tears ran along her cheeks and she started to whimper as the force pulled her towards him. "But physically, I can and will destroy you before you are able to free anyone else."

"Honestly, I don't even know what happened."

"Lies." She let out a violent scream as her body crashed into the wall near her. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing as a dull ache spread across her limbs. Her heart started to race as the man's shadow fell over her. She felt another jolt of pain and winced as she sucked the air in through her teeth.

"Trina?" Her eyes shot open and she called out to Jason, hearing the concern in his voice. The man emerged through the open door and ran to her side, throwing his arms around her while glaring at the demon before them. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"No Jason, he…he's not human." Trina held onto him and looked up, narrowing her eyes at the figure standing above them. "He's a reaper, possessing a long dead person. I'm…a medium…whatever that means, it scares him."

Sinjin growled and started to sneer as the ghostly Ray Preston appeared with a number of other ghosts. "Hey," Ray smirked, "Miss me?" Trina saw Jason's eyes scan the ghosts nearby and gasped suddenly.

"Can you see them, Jason?"

"A little," he whispered, "Only outlines. Shades."

Ray turned his head and waved at them. "Get out of here. Do you understand? Leave now."

Jason wasted no time helping her to her feet. "Can you walk?" She tried to take a step, but when she did, she felt a stabbing sensation shoot down her right leg. She looked into his eyes with a wince and let him move her arm over his shoulders. "Fine." He wrapped his right arm protectively around her waist and guided her carefully out of the house.

When they reached her car, she dropped her head to his chest and leaned back against the vehicle. "How did you even-"

"You texted me, remember? I felt like something was up. Where are you hurt?" He looked over her body and let out a heavy sigh.

"Everywhere, but it's okay. I'll heal." She turned her lips up into a smile and reached up, cupping her hand over Jason's cheek. The concern in his eyes spoke volumes to her, and the longer she remained there in his arms, the safer she felt. "Where's your car?"

"In the shop." His eyebrows moved inwards. "I ran over when I got your text." Her eyes fell to his lips and a lump began forming in her throat. The security she felt in his arms was incredibly freeing, and knowing that Sinjin wasn't human was oddly comforting. "So, does this mean you and that guy aren't together anymore?"

"Yeah." She swallowed the lump and glanced back at the car. "Take me back to your place? You can drive…"

"Sure. I can cook you a hot meal or something."

"Sounds great." She let herself move closer to him, then kissed his lips as she had wished for so long. He was taken aback, but returned the kiss and slid his arms around her waist. She pulled away breathlessly and glanced out the corner of her eyes, glaring at the ghosts that were watching them. "Well. This is going to be awkward as hell."

"What is?"

"We're being watched by the entire supernatural realm." Jason grinned and shrugged.

"Let them watch."

"Gladly." She pushed her arms around his neck and kissed him with a new fire. He pushed her up against the side of the car, eager to join her show for the ghosts.

After another prolonged, passionate kiss, she pulled away once more and looked into his eyes. "I never stopped loving you, Jason. Of course, I can see ghosts and communicate with the dead, so…I hope that doesn't scare you away now that you've got me back?" Jason grabbed the door handle of the car and laughed.

"Not at all." He opened the door and wagged his eyebrows. "If anything, it only makes me love you more."

She entered the car and smirked at him. "Good." Perhaps this was the reason Beck didn't say anything at the hospital, she likely wouldn't have believed anything until she saw it for herself. Whatever was inside that man in the house, it wasn't Sinjin. "Because now I have to help my uncle cross over, but I have no idea what to do."

"There's apparently a mystic named Janan." Trina hummed as Jason put the keys in the ignition and started the car. "She might know a thing or two." Trina leaned sideways and placed her head carefully on his shoulder. Her eyes closed and her shoulders rose, then fell.

"Your place first. I need rest." It had been exhausting enough letting the spirit of Sinjin into her body. So other than resting, there was nothing she wanted to do. She could figure things out later.

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><p>So she finally believes. What did you think of the supernatural experience in freeing Courtney? What are your thoughts now that Ahriman has revealed himself? Also, good thing, Jason and Trina are finally back together.<p> 


	16. Twp Become One

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Whether or not to upload this chapter today versus tomorrow weighed heavily, but I decided for the former, so here. Primarily because it's the aftermath-this chapter does get a tiny bit graphic at one point, but I think most readers here are mature enough to handle it, so read away and enjoy.

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><p>Chapter 16 (Two Become One)<p>

"When I was a little girl, they helped me." Trina set the base of the coffee cup down on the blanket that covered her bare breast. She crossed her legs beneath the covers and looked up to Jason, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. He was wearing a thin white shirt and his jeans, and his hand rested comfortably atop her blanketed knee. "I never thought about it, but when those ghosts banded up today it reminded me…they were there in that cemetery-protecting me."

"I'm glad." He reached over, placing a gentle hand to the side of her head. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, smiling as he swept down along her face, caressing her cheek and tucking his hand beneath her chin. "Who else can say they have an entire afterlife looking out for them?" She opened her eyes and laughed.

"I wish I could say I felt good about it." She looked into his eyes and let her shoulders slide down. "I…hope it's okay that we-you know. I don't know what came over me." He smiled at her and shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong with it. It felt right to me."

"Yeah! Me too." She brought the cup up to her lips and closed her eyes as she breathed in the wondrous scent of warm coffee with caramel creamer. She turned her eyes upwards. Jason was sitting with his hands in his lap and his gaze on the door in front of him. "Jason?" He glanced sideways at her and turned up a small smile.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. I knew you said you would look for me after camp, and I got impatient. I'm sorry." He chuckled and leaned over, kissing the top of her head.

"Don't. There's no need to apologize. Besides, I'm the one that lost your number." That was true, but he still found her, and by that time she was dating the wrong person. Of course, she could only wish it had been a person. "I love you."

"I love you." She took a deep breath and looked around the house. "You know, after all this time, I'm still shocked that you have a house." Jason laughed again and shrugged.

"There's a lot to be said about it, to be honest. I'm renting it with the money I make teaching the kids at the dojo. I make enough and have enough scholarship for the university, so whatever. It also helps that it was the house my family grew up in." She hummed and carefully set the mug on the end table.

"There's something I've been thinking about." She brought her hand up to her hair and held it there in a moment of thought, idly twirling her finger in the tip of her hair. She wanted to ask Jason about something that had been on her mind, and it was more solidified now that they were together again and clearly sexually active, but she was afraid it was too soon.

"What is it?"

"Well I-it's just…" She looked down and dropped her hand to the bed. "Well I'm starting school in the fall, and I was thinking of moving into the dorms." Jason turned partially and pressed his lips together.

"You don't want to stay with your family?"

"I just don't think I have a place there. I mean, Dad's always busy, mom's got her own stuff to worry about, and then there's Tori. I'm sure she doesn't want me around that much, she's got um…those friends of hers to deal with." Jason folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Friends that are cursed, and one way or another, won't be around for very much longer at this rate."

"Yeah, that is true." She hesitated, then waved her hand in the air. "But when they're gone-I don't even know if I can really help them or not-she's going to be wanting our parents' attention that much more." She watched his hand lift and he stretched his top two fingers out, then circled them in the air. She smiled nervously and cleared her throat. "Maybe I could move in with you? Is it too soon to ask?" Jason's jaw fell, then slid back into place as his lips turned up into a smile.

Trina pulled the blankets up to her face, trying to cover the nervous blush. "I don't think it's sudden. It's a big step though, and something to think about. If it's what you really want, I'd love to have you." Her heart skipped a beat and she dropped the blanket back down to her chest. "What more, I've got better food than the university cafeteria does." He winked and her blush shot back to her cheeks. "But are you sure it's what you want to do? You're not just doing it because of your family?"

"No. I need to be more independent." She had to follow her heart and take care of herself, and she wasn't going to be able to do that if she lived with her family for the rest of her life. "Either way I was going to move on campus, but…I don't know, I want to be with you." She reached up to him and he leaned forward, letting her drape her arms over his shoulders. She gazed into his strong and loving eyes with a smile. "I love you so much, and I want to be with you. I don't want anyone else, never have."

"So the reaper guy was just a rebound, was he?" Jason teased her with a smirk and she laughed. "No way am I letting you down for that one anytime soon."

"Just you watch, I will find something to tease you about." She leaned forward, letting the blanket fall down to her stomach. Jason peered down momentarily and she twisted her lips into a smug grin. "Such as you being a total guy sometimes."

"Well if I didn't look, you'd be concerned."

"This is true. I expect it." Jason laughed again and Trina took a deep breath. "Look, what I'm trying to say…" He grew silent and a serious expression passed over him as his eyes danced back into hers. "I need to follow my heart and grow, and I can't do that if I stay with my family. Now I'm on a road that, well, I never even knew _existed_. While I deal with that, I know for a fact that I want to be with you, and I don't know how we'll end up, but I know I want to see where this road takes us. Together."

"If that's what you want, then I support your decision. You'll talk to your family first, though?"

"Of course." She pulled herself against his body and sighed as his warmth surrounded her. He moved his arms around her, closing his hands together on the small of her back. She turned her head up, smiling as she gazed into his eyes. "I wouldn't make that move without my dad's approval, but I don't think he'll mind. He knows you're a good man, and I think…he knows you wouldn't hurt me."

"Right." A smirk flickered at his lips and he leaned forward, gently kissing the tip of her lips. "Now, your uncle may want to approve too." She laughed lightly and rolled her eyes.

"Please. I'm still processing that."

"Oh I know." His body pushed forward and she fell down against the mattress with a heavy sigh as he lowered himself over her. The curtains over the windows and the lit lamp made a somewhat ambient glow around them as though their light were coming from a fireplace nearby. His eyelids fell halfway and his lips moved into a smile as she brought her hands up to the shoulders atop his majestic frame. "You know I have to tease you even still, right?"

"Yes." Her left hand slid down his shoulder, then up along his neck and rested on the back of his head. She leaned up and gently pushed down on his head, guiding him to her lips. As his body lowered onto hers and rubbed against her, she shifted upwards and arched her chest upwards.

His fingers ran along her body, then he cupped his hand around her right breasts, using his knuckles to compress on her nipple. Sparks of pleasure ran through her body and he managed to draw a pleasured sigh from her lips.

"Didn't we just do this?" He spoke softly, with his whisper enticing her. Her eyes fluttered open and her lips were pushed apart by her breathless panting. His right hand had slipped beneath the covers and was now dancing along the edge of her panties.

"That was before the five hour nap, Jason. My uncle and all the ghosts can wait another hour."

"Cute." He flashed a playful smile and slipped beneath the covers. His hands moved away from her body and planted firmly beside her shoulders. "I think I can last a little longer."

"Oh god." Her heart burst inside as he lowered himself suddenly and kissed her lips with a mix of power and passion. She threw her arms around his back and let out a grunt as his groin fell onto hers. She threw her head back and her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed down her jaw and then nipped at the skin of her neck. She curled her hands around his back and let out a scream of excitement and anticipation for what was to come.

Elsewhere, Beck and Jade stood together before a large chapel with their closest friends. "I never thought about doing this," Jade whispered. "I've dreamt, sure, but I didn't think that-"

"After twenty years? My father had a point." He looked down at Kyle's car parked along the curb. The man was wearing his suit and tie. Standing beside him was Jade's father, Henry, a frail and thin shell of a man that he used to be. "Both of our moms left our dads, and our dads are the ones who stuck by us. Your dad's illness is taking over, so…I think both of them deserve to see us together."

"Weren't you two already married?" Andre inquired while tugging on his tie. "Also, I can't believe you only made me one of the lesser important people up there-you invited what's his name." Beck rolled his eyes and looked to the left, where Damian approached cautiously.

"He was my best friend once. I owe him this much."

"I agree," Jade replied, "I've got nothing against Damian being here." Beck's heart lifted joyously as Damian stopped before them. The man's nervous eyes flicked over to the fathers and they too studied him carefully before moving over to the group.

"I question this," Henry said firmly, "But I respect your wishes to include him in this small ceremony." The man began coughing and Kyle frowned as he pat Henry's back. After several seconds, Henry held his hand up and smiled politely at Kyle. "Now. I'm honored to give my daughter over to you, Beck. I just…what made you decide to do this now?"

Beck glanced to his father, smiling as their eyes met. "A wise and good man once told me that I shouldn't dwell on what I can't change, but to enjoy what little time that I have left." He saw a proud glistening in his father's eyes, then turned away towards the chapel. "Let's go, this has been long due."

"Why here, anyway?" Robbie asked. "A chapel, when you could just go to city all."

They stopped on the steps of the chapel and Beck looked up at the sky. "Ahriman can't touch us here. Only good reapers can enter holy grounds."

Once inside, they met up with David. The man had already arrived when Beck invited him a few hours prior. He felt the man who would have married Lisa deserved to be here. It was just a shame that Trina couldn't be contacted, but then, he wanted to let her have some time to process everything.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Jade exclaimed joyously. Her eyes were lit up with joy and her mouth was spread into a wide grin. Everyone was laughing, even Damian was happy to finally see some joy amid all of the depression. "Me. Mrs. Jade Oliver…"

He extended his elbow and she wrapped her arm around his. "I do hope twenty years isn't too late," he laughed, "But I'm glad to have spent them with you." His answer came in a quick peck on the corner of his lips.

Just seeing this bit of joy in her was enough for him. Maybe now she could hope things could get better, and perhaps they could break free of the curse. For now, all that mattered was they were together, true lovers united as one. With her by his side, he could face the world.

"Would it be inappropriate timing to joke about the corpse bride?" Damian smirked. Beck and the others laughed and Jade merely smiled. "You two are glowing. It's nice to see. I'd say congrats, but I always thought you guys were married after all this time." He stopped and glanced to the others. "Thank you for inviting me, by the way. It means a lot, Beck…"

"No problem, Damian. The way I see it, we're _all_ in this together. United we stand, we can be saved-I believe that now." His greater hope had truly come in an unexpected fashion and he didn't know how to bring it up. Sinjin had come to him, the spirit of his best friend, and with him was Courtney. She'd been freed with the help of a medium, and Beck had a good feeling about who the medium was.

"We need a theme." He put his arm around Jade's shoulders and looked ahead at the preacher standing near the alter. "Who wants to start dancing to the Time Warp?" Jade rolled her eyes and smacked his hand playfully. "Have to relieve the tension somehow. It's nice…I'm getting a daughter, a wife, a niece, all in an instance. There are some good things in the world, I suppose. Even after death?"

"Yes well, let's allow ourselves some time to not think about that," Jade suggested, "Ahriman, your niece, and all the others cursed by that damn reaper can wait just a little longer. I want to be happy for a time."

"Of course." He kissed the side of her head and let out a single breath. "I love you." She leaned into him and gave his hand a gentle squeeze in response. It was truly all that he needed in that moment. "Good things will happen, Jade. I promise that."

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><p>As you could likely tell with the title, two couples essentially unify into one with heart and all that stuff.. Anyway, what are your thoughts going ahead? Is it nice to see Beck and Jade tying the not, despite all the negativity around them? Both couples appear ready to face the future, even though none of them know what it may hold.<p> 


	17. A Leader and a Savior

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 17 (A Leader and a Savior)

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><p>In lieu of celebration, Beck invited a few other people to the chapel. Jade wanted to go ahead and have a reception, even if it wasn't much, so Beck had Sikowitz bring a cake. It wouldn't be much since it was last minute, but it would still have its impact.<p>

While everyone celebrated in the back of the chapel, Beck caught Damian about to leave. "Where are you going?" He pushed himself up against the wall, leaning against his left shoulder and flashing a smile at the boy. "You should stick around and celebrate."

Damian scratched his wild mane and chuckled at him. "Listen Beck, you wouldn't invite Ahriman to a party, would you?" He frowned at Damian and crossed his arms. "Of course not, he's the enemy. Half of everyone cursed still hates you, and you've invited all of them to come here. Do you seriously think they're going to be receptive of the presence of the guy that killed them?"

The man had a point, and as much as he didn't want Damian to go, he wasn't going to force the guy to stay against his will. "Well would you at least stick around for my announcement?" Damian leaned back, his eyebrow slowly rose and his lips separated with a sigh.

"Announcement?"

"I want to tell everyone that I've found a medium, and the good news man." He straightened himself and looked to the left, then right, and finally wagged his eyebrows. "Courtney's been released. She's free." Damian's jaw fell open and his eyes grew.

"What?" His voice came out in a rushed whisper. "How do you know? What do you mean she's freed? Ahriman would never-"

"That's just it. Sinjin's spirit brought her to me. He didn't say much of anything, it was Courtney talking. I was so stunned to see her, but she said that the medium came and allowed her brother to work through her to free her."

"Seriously?" Damian's hand flew over his mouth, but Beck could see the flicker of his lips. It was nice to see a smile on this brooding face once in a while. "Right out from under the reaper's nose?"

"Apparently. I don't know what it means-if Trina accepts or not, I just know that Sinjin came back from the spiritual realm and saved Courtney. If the curse can be broken for her, then it can be broken for all of us." This was the reason he was doing everything now, from the union with Jade, to gathering all of the remaining cursed.

Damian folded his arms and scoffed lightly. "You still have to get Trina to be willing to help. Plus, if she was the one that freed Courtney, don't you think Ahriman would have found out?" He thought about that and of course he called Trina's phone, but when he did, he was astounded to hear Jason. Trina was asleep, exhausted after having freed one soul.

"It'll take some time, yes, but I think she might help. As for what happened, it sounds like she got away from Ahriman. I tried contacting her, and Jason answered."

"Jason?" Sikowitz's voice came from behind, startling him. He looked over his shoulder to see his teacher's mouth agape and his eyebrows up. "Trina's with my nephew?"

David made his way over, grinning from ear to ear. "Did I hear someone say my daughter's with that Jason fellow?" Beck's shoulders dropped and Damian rolled his eyes. "I like the guy. I've met him a couple times, he's nice-nicer than a reaper at least."

"We were kind of talking here," Beck muttered, "I'm going to announce everything." All of a sudden there was an influx of people pushing Beck and Damian to the side. Sikowitz hurried the three-layered Italian Cream Cake to the table and laughed as Beck watched all of the cursed beings rushing in. "Jesus! Give a guy some warning!

He looked to his blushing bride standing up on a platform nearby. She wasn't dressed in a fancy dress, and she didn't have on layers of elegant clothing or makeup, but to him she still looked like a queen watching over her subjects. "Well," Damian chuckled, "You two always wanted to be the King and Queen of the dead."

Beck smirked at Damian. "Screw you." His friend started to laugh, which in turn made him do the same. This had to be a turning point, because from what he saw, every one of the cursed had shown. "Now I can give them some hope…"

"What of the others?" He paused and furrowed his brow, recalling the vivid departure of Brittney. He'd seen so many others fall, but hers being the most recent, was the most painful to watch. "Is there no way to save them?"

"I think they're lost." His fists clenched and he ground his teeth together, narrowing his eyes upon the floor. The horrific screams surrounded him, each calling out and rebuking him. "They blame me, every one of them. I'm doing what I can to save the rest, but I know I'll never be able to save those that are lost…"

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to Damian. The man's face was long, and tears were in his eyes, but there was also a new emotion that Beck hadn't seen in his old friend. Confidence, and perhaps, a little faith.

"So save the rest of them, Beck. Save who you can. You might never forgive yourself for those that are already gone." Damian's eyes dropped and his speech faltered momentarily. Beck's heart grew heavier and his knees began to buckle. "Even now I still don't forgive myself for ever pulling that goddamn trigger…we all do insanely stupid things and we all have regrets, but if for one moment we can stop the dwelling and turn things around. If for one moment we can make things better for those still clinging…shouldn't we?"

Beck wiped away the moisture rising up around his own eyelids, then he delivered a shaky response with a single breath. "Yeah." He looked out amid the chattering crowd, then looked up to Jade.

She still remained on the platform, smiling at him. Her hair seemed to frame her glowing expression like that of a picture. She had her fingers laced together before her waist and appeared to be waiting for him.

He gave her a smile then pat Damian's back. "Thanks man. Stick around?" Damian chuckled once and turned his attention to the others. Some members of the crowd were waving him over, much to his surprise. "In twenty years, I think everyone realizes that we're all in this together."

"Maybe so. I have no idea what could be causing the positive energy."

"We're in a chapel, dude." Beck took a few steps back and spread his arms out straight. He laughed once and Damian rolled his eyes. "We're safe here, we're protected." He turned and ran up the steps of the stage. When he reached Jade, he took her hand and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You said you had something to say," Jade whispered, "So it's about time you got up here."

"I had to talk to an old friend."

"Of course." She closed her eyes and smiled. Beck slid around her, stepping to her left and holding his arm around her waist. "Everyone!" He continued to shout above the clamor until they fell silent and turned to him. As he stared out across the group, he could see Damian approaching from the back. A smile grew on his face as the man nodded his approval. "I have good news, an announcement to make, and where better to give it than a place that Ahriman cannot reach us?"

He lowered his right arm and walked a few paces to the right, still maintaining eye contact with the crowd. "I'm sad that a large number of us can't be here, and I know that our situation is my fault more than anyone else. I put us here, I cursed us."

"It was Ahriman that cursed us," Andre called out to his relief, "You didn't know. So don't take the blame." Beck closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I should have known better though. We were legitimately dead, and I foolishly thought that we were allowed to have a second chance to live again. I should have let us all go peacefully, rather than to be the food of a dark reaper."

"Hey." Beck heard Damian call out and watched as all the heads turned to him. "Get on with it. Everyone here knows you blame yourself, and so do I, but don't hold back on the good news you've got."

"Right." He moved his fingers through his hair and his lips spread into a grin. "Friends. Courtney Van Cleef has been freed from the curse, she has crossed over." A collective gasp ran over the crowd and Beck saw Jade's hand fly to her chest as she turned to him.

"What?" Her eyebrows moved together and she hurried to his side. "When? How?" The others murmured among themselves, each knowing how impossible it could be to free the very person that was physically bound by Ahriman. "You didn't mention that to me."

"Because I didn't know," he whispered back, "Not until recently." He caught a glimmer in her eyes and smiled as she appeared to take in the news. Beck turned back to the crowd and cleared his throat. "The spirit of Sinjin brought Courtney to me this morning, she told me how a medium came and allowed him to work through her. Thanks to that connection, Sinjin was able to connect with Courtney and free her from her bounds."

"So the curse can be broken?" A student asked.

"We can cross over to the light?"

The clamors continued until somebody questioned where this medium was and if she would really help them. "You aren't lying, Beck?" Asked another. "This medium does exist? Is she the one that you claim to have found, and will she really help us?"

He raised his hands up, palms outward, and pushed them forward in an attempt to calm them. "She does exist, and apparently, she was born from my own sister. A victim of another Reaper. I still need to talk to her, to convince her to help, and-"

"So you don't even know if she's going to help? You said you had good news. Where is this medium, Beck?"

"Yeah, where is she?"

"If she exists, why isn't she here. You're just building our hopes up! I lost Greg to this curse, I don't want to go to hell too!"

"He's not lying." Everyone silenced and Beck's eyes flew to the doors of the chapel. Trina was standing next to Jason. His arm was bent and her hand was holding onto the inside of his elbow. Beck's tense muscles loosened and he lowered his hands to his sides. "I'm right here."

She was glowing, though not with any special aura, she just appeared to be happier. Her face bore a serene expression and she was walking close to Jason. Beck's eyebrow rose as he studied the two of them.

"I'm still processing things." Trina looked up to Beck and chuckled under her breath. "Like one of my sister's best friends not only being cursed, but my uncle at the same time. Which, of course, makes Jade my aunt." Jade smirked as Trina slowly shook her head. "This whole medium thing is a lot to take in, and I need time…but I will help you if I can."

Beck hopped off the stage and approached Trina. He maintained eye contact and started to smile as she relaxed herself. "You'll want to talk to this woman," he stated slowly, "Janan's her name. She can help you out a little more with the whole medium thing."

"Yeah. Um…" Trina shifted her eyes to the skeptical crowd and pulled away from Jason. "Andre? Andre, can you come here please?" Andre emerged from the crowd and shook himself.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Your dad will not leave me alone." Andre raised an eyebrow and laughed once. "Um, he keeps appearing and I don't really know how to summon him here, but…he seems to want to talk to you."

"I'll make it easy." Ray appeared beside her and Andre jumped back with a scream. "Ghosts can appear where they want, but it's better with a medium. How's it going?" Ray moved forward and met with Andre's gaze. "I can do what Sinjin did with Courtney, but Trina would need a stronger hold in order to let a ghost work through her like that. There are rituals and things that need to be done, but son, I just wanted to let you know…the boys and I are waiting for you."

"W-What?" Andre blinked several times and Ray nodded his head.

"Your mother's gone on ahead." Ray pushed his hands into his pocket and sighed heavily. "Your grandmother's at the end of her life as well, I suspect she has days left." Andre's jaw dropped and Ray looked up to the sky, breathing in quickly. "Yeah, I sense her life is definitely running out. She'll probably cross over as well. Miles, Louie and I…we haven't crossed because we're waiting for you, we want to leave as a family."

"But I can't leave. I'm cursed."

"Yeah I know." Ray looked over to Trina and shrugged. "It's going to take a little something more, but this woman can do it." Beck smiled as he watched the tears run down Andre's cheeks. Ray paced to the right and looked over to Trina. "Right now even I'm feeding off her energy. If you can imagine how much strain and stress one spirit puts on a medium, imagine what it's going to take to do an entire group. She needs to be stronger, and is just developing, so please have patience…and have a little faith." Ray's smile tilted into a smirk and he wagged his eyebrows. "We're waiting, son, and believe me when I say we're not the only relatives of your lot that wants to bring someone to the other side."

"Couldn't you just appear to me without her?"

"No son, I can't." Ray folded his arms and closed his eyes. "Unfortunately it's not that easy, and besides, in order to free you from the curse…we need the medium. Even if we could just appear for you, we have to be channeled by the medium."

"Your presence now?"

"I'm fully present because I'm feeding off the medium's living energy. I cannot stay long because she is still weak." Ray turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "Though, she's in a heightened state at the moment, thanks to her boyfriend there." Beck raised an eyebrow and Trina's cheeks burned with a blush. "That makes her energy a little stronger, which has allowed me to be here as long as I have."

"What exactly does that mean?" Beck asked in a low voice. David approached and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as well.

"It means the ghost is staying longer than he should be," Trina replied through gritted teeth. Ray laughed mercilessly and winked at Andre. "Now where is this Janan woman?" Beck shook his head and looked out the doors.

"I can take you to her after the reception. She's an old mystic, but she says she can help you. You're serious, though? You're willing to help us?"

"Of course." Trina bowed her head momentarily and breathed in slowly. "My mother was cursed, and now that I know I have an uncle that's going to suffer the same fate-along with a whole bunch of others-I want to do what I can to help. Just, I think there's a chance that some of the ones that are lost can be saved…but I don't know." Beck's heart stopped and his jaw dropped.

"What do you mean?"

"Mom appeared to me in ghost form." Beck's eyebrows rose and the others uttered their shocks. "She was red, wouldn't talk, but gave me visions of this other medium leading a mob of ghosts to kill a reaper. Of course the medium was also doing this chant, and that reaper's most recent victims were freed…mom included."

He was floored by the news. Not only was it amazing to hear that Lisa might be able to cross over into the light, it was remarkable to know there could be a chance of salvaging some of the more recent victims of Ahriman. Such as Brittney, and who knows how far back.

"Then by any means, Trina. Do whatever it takes. If some can still be pulled from the fire, then do it."

"I will, Beck. I'll do what I can…"

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><p>I think Beck gave quite the speech, don't you? Also it's a good reminder for you guys that Beck's the hero and centerpiece here, he's the one taking charge and Trina is simply the sword. Ah Ray's presence, do you think it gave the other cursed beings some semblance of hope? Curiously, Beck becomes an uncle and already he takes a protective stance, way to nearly tick off the medium, Ray.<p> 


	18. Noble Cause

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 18 (Noble Cause)<p>

"I wondered how long it would take you to get her here." Beck scowled at the mystic's words. Jade put her head to his shoulder and reached to the hand in his lap, curling her fingers around it. Beside them was Trina, sitting eagerly with Jason to her right. Janan was across from them, draped in purple robes and strange beads that adorned her neck. Next to Janan was a woman with a sweet, heart-shaped face and shoulder length, honey brown hair.

"Who is that woman?" Beck ignored Janan's complaint about his timing and motioned to the other woman. Janan simply smiled while Trina was the one to answer.

"That's the medium in the vision Lisa gave me," Trina marveled, "The one that led the ghosts with a chant." Beck's jaw fell and Jade lifted her head slightly, remarking over her surprise. "Melinda Gordon, right?" Melinda smiled back at her and nodded. "I don't understand. What are you doing here?"

"A spirit came to me," Melinda shrugged, "And told me to come see Janan. She helped me with something in the past, and when she told me about you, I figured I'd stick around." Trina's grin increased and she straightened herself into a more comfortable and attentive position. "So you're the medium tasked with relieving a curse."

"Yeah, but I don't think I'm ready." Melinda frowned and Trina leaned forward. The girl ran her sweaty palms over her clothed knees and frowned. "It takes so much of my energy just to work with one ghost. I don't even know what it'll take to relieve twenty trapped souls."

"It's not easy." Melinda lifted a hand and swept her hair away from her face. "What you say you experienced with the spirit that already crossed over is essentially what's going to happen, but doing it with a ghost is a little different." Melinda swept her hand through the air and motioned over to Beck. "You have corpses with chains around them. A soul, or rather in their case, a ghost is trapped to a dead body. Once the body decays completely, their soul is ready for the reaper to claim it."

Trina studied Beck and Jade for a moment and shook her head vigorously. "I see no chains." Beck peered down at himself, thinking the same. If there were chains, they were certainly invisible, unless Melinda was speaking metaphorically.

"They are there," Janan spoke, "But they're naked to the human eye. Even the cursed cannot see or feel them." The mystic rose from the table and moved to a shelf behind her. Beck watched her pick up a strange looking pouch with a silver tie. When she began approaching him, he began to grow nervous. "Relax, this will reveal a reaper's work, but only temporarily."

"Wha-" She opened the sack and tossed a strange powder onto him, some of it went into his eyes and drew tears to the surface. When he wiped them away and looked down at himself, he gasped loudly. A padlock rested on his chest, and heavy chain-links were leaving it from many directions over his shoulders, through his thighs and around his waist. "Holy shit!"

"It keeps ghosts, and of course angels-or spirits-out." Beck grabbed at the padlock and tried to pull it, but his hand sailed through the device. Janan closed her eyes and pulled the corner of her lip into her cheek. "A ghost, even a spirit, can possess a human body. In doing so, if they wanted to, they could pull a portion of the subject's soul out."

"That's a terrifying thought," Trina muttered, "I used to think ghosts were harmless."

"Good ones are, it's the angry ones you have to worry about most." Janan returned her pouch to the shelf. Beck continued to whimper at his chains and looked over as Jade poked them. Her eyes were filled with concern, but it was bad enough knowing she too had these things on her. "But a living human, a ghost cannot pull the entire soul out. A cursed one, however, has no living body to cling to. A ghost can therefore remove the entire soul, making that person a ghost as well."

Beck threw his head up with a start and his heart jumped into his throat. "So it's that simple? All these years, and it's that fucking simple?" Janan hesitated and Melinda closed her eyes, answering for the mystic.

"It isn't, I'm afraid." Disheartened, Beck rolled his head and eyes to the right and crossed his arms. "See with a cursed, the only ghost that can go inside has to have a connection." Melinda snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "Andre's father that's been visiting Trina, for example, cannot reach into you and free your soul. It cannot be done, he has no strong emotional bond with you. Even Sinjin, the spirit that's crossed into the light, cannot come forward and free your soul. It has to be someone with a spiritual and emotional bond to you."

"I understand," Trina blurted. "It's like this…" Beck looked over and his eyebrows lifted beneath his bangs. "If Jade were already crossed, and not bound, she could be used to free you." Trina looked over the table and grinned. "Right?" Melinda nodded and Trina laughed enthusiastically. "But the ghost still needs the medium?"

"The chains prevent a ghost from entering the body," Janan repeated, "But if they possess the medium-the medium can then reach into the body of the corpse." Beck's mouth hung open and Trina's head tilted. She pursed her lips and scrunched her nose. "It isn't as disgusting as you might think, trust me on that sweetie. The ghost can use you to grab ahold of the soul within, and when that ghost yanks your arm out of the body, they can tear the trapped soul out with them."

"Why is a fresh medium needed, then? Why can't you or Melinda do this? It seems easy enough."

"You have greater energy than we do." Melinda folded her hands together, then raised them in the air. "You're awakening to your abilities and you're younger, so you have greater energy. As a medium ages, they get stronger with experience, but their actual energy depletes. The process which you have to go through wouldn't be fatal to you, but if Janan or I were to attempt it, it could kill us."

Trina started to pale and Beck nearly fell out of his seat. He didn't know it was such a difficult strain on the medium, but at least a newer one wouldn't be harmed too badly by it. "You do have to practice and get your strength up, however." Janan walked around the table and set her hand on Trina's shoulder. The girl looked up at her and pressed her lips together. "Because right now, when you're only awakening to the supernatural, just the presence of a single ghost can draw up a large amount of your energy. The more you're around them, the more you let them take over your body and the more you accept them, the stronger you become."

"I see. But is that just it? I mean, individually, there's a large group." Trina brought her hands to her chest and furrowed her brow. "Am I supposed to somehow channel twenty plus ghosts one after another? The process could take all day."

"There are two other methods, both are an incredibly difficult task, however." Trina frowned and Beck pulled his gaze away while Janan returned to her seat beside Melinda. The woman raised a finger and let her shoulders drop. "The first task would be of great strain on you, even with enough practice."

"What's that?"

"You can call for a séance, with the entire group of cursed ones, and take in one ghost per person. In all, you'd have twenty-six spirits inside of your body." Trina's eyes widened and her grip on her shirt tightened immensely. "Now, there's an entire supernatural aura around a medium, and what that means is you can channel extra limbs with your mind through a chant…and all at once, you can reach into every cursed and allow every ghost to remove the trapped souls."

"That sounds terrifying," Beck muttered. It was too much, even for him to think about. "I don't want her to do anything that could damage herself." Trina glanced over with a sad smile and started to say something, but he continued on. "What's the other alternative?"

"The second is harder," Melinda confessed to his dismay, "But maybe not harder on the medium as it is just a difficult task to accomplish on its own." Melinda leaned back slowly and Beck curled his eyebrows together. He'd hoped for an easier task, but that was far more than he should have expected. "You said that your mother gave you a vision, correct?"

Trina nodded. "That is correct." She folded her hands on the table and glanced down to them. "It was of you performing a chant. A slew of ghosts tore a reaper apart and freed several of that reaper's recent victims. I'd been wanting to ask about that…"

"That's the second task that you can do." Trina's nostrils spread apart and she drew in a sharp breath. Beck tried to visualize an assault an Ahriman, but just thinking about it was enough to give him a heart attack. How could he possibly ask Trina to do that? "The chant I spoke gave those ghosts power and strength to defeat the reaper. It also gave them power to drain him of his most recent victims."

"How recent?"

"About seven years' worth." Beck's heart skipped a beat and Jade's hands shot up to her mouth. Seven may not seem like much, but in the last seven years Ahriman had claimed fourteen souls. It wasn't a grand total of forty-five, but a remarkable number of forty souls that could be plucked from the fire and thrown into salvation.

It was tempting, but just how much could he ask Trina to do? Going up against Ahriman could kill her. "I-I can't ask her to do that," Beck groaned. Trina looked at him with an arched eyebrow and Jade informed him of the number of lost souls that could be rescued. He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "It's too dangerous. Ahriman would tear her apart, he'd tear everyone apart."

"He's scared of ghosts," Trina replied firmly, "Terrified." Her lips tightened and lines stretched out from them. She flattened her eyebrows over her eyes and they dipped down in the middle. "You asked me to save them, Beck, and I'm going to do that. How many people could that end up saving? Seven years?"

"It would mean forty out of forty-five would be able to cross…"

"Forty? As opposed to twenty-six? Then there's no question." Beck gasped out as Trina turned back to the grinning mediums. "If that's what I have to do, I'll do it. I don't care if it is dangerous, those ghosts that have been following me around want a part in this…so be it."

"Good." Janan looked from Beck over to Jason and leaned back. "It might relieve you to know, Jason here is not entirely useless." Trina smiled at him and his head jolted back in surprise. "The son of an unpracticed medium, yes, but he still has a connection. His energy with Trina's can only aid in making that process a little easier."

"If that's the case, great." Jason put his arm around Trina's shoulders and looked over to Beck. "My uncle is one of those cursed, so if I can possibly help in any way, I will." Beck was relieved, though still nervous, he smiled approvingly at Jason and leaned back slowly. "What will this achieve afterwards? Will killing Ahriman free them?"

"No, but it will remove their chains. At that point, Trina, you can call a séance with all of the cursed in your presence and call forth a single ghost per person with a connection. The connected ghost can enter freely their respective cursed and pull their soul from the corpse. It is then, and only then, that the cursed soul will finally be able to cross into the light."

Melinda closed her hands together and extended her finger to Trina. "Let's not forget that when you do take Ahriman with that chant-seven years was just how far back _I_ took the reaper. You could very well take that much, but with Jason's energy adding to the strength, you have the potential of rescuing all of the cursed victims that were a part of that massacre."

Beck's heart jumped into his throat and Jade let out a startled cry. He couldn't believe the words, and he didn't know if he wanted to. "I-If that's true." He stammered in an attempt to catch his breath. The others looked at him and he started to shake his head. "You would have to double the number. The first victim that Ahriman took…" He moved his hand to his chest and looked over to Jade.

"Monica." Jade looked up slowly and wiped her tears from her face. "My best friend, she was…she was standing at the door of the school when Damian entered. She was the first one shot, the first one that died. The first one Ahriman took, fifteen years ago." Jade's voice broke and Beck took her into his arms.

It seemed too good to be true that he could potentially have a hand in saving every one of them. He wanted to stand before all of the lost souls, to see them and tell them they were free. "Can that be done?"

"That act doesn't require a fresh medium," Melinda answered. Tears welled up in his eyes and he clutched Jade's hands as she leaned into him and gazed hopefully at the medium. "I can join you, Trina and Jason, and lend my own energy into that chant. In doing so, I fully believe we can release victims from fifteen years ago, at the very least."

"Then do it." He spoke in a slow, calm voice. Never before had he felt more eager, never had he felt this much hope. Hell, he couldn't wait to tell Damian that there was a chance every one of the victims could reach the light now. "If you can do it, don't hesitate. I want to save them all if there's a chance."

"Then that's what we'll do," Trina smiled, "We'll work on that being the plan. But, I guess that means I'm going to need a lot of practice." Beck nodded slowly and closed his eyes. He breathed in as relief swelled inside his heart.

The ones that remained, besides those in the class with him at the time of death, had been killed in the explosion afterwards. What this meant was Ahriman could take some of them at any time, but he couldn't have those that died in the explosion.

"There's one thing I want you to do first." Trina pursed her lips and Beck opened his eyes partially. "I was wrong about Brittney, she was not killed in the explosion like I thought. She was killed prior to, and Ahriman stated in his contract that he was prolonging…those that died in and after the explosion would have at least a year of silence when the last of the shooting victims was claimed. Minus me, of course, he was saving both myself and Damian for last."

"Okay." Trina furrowed her brow and Beck looked to Jade. He couldn't free her soul until that baby was born, but once that happened, he definitely wanted to ensure she'd crossed into the light. Of course, he knew also that Ahriman could not touch her with a baby inside. This bought them even more time.

However his friends that were with him in the class were all in danger still.

"To be claimed by Ahriman is a gruesome, painful thing. Watching Brittney, and so many others fall, I know they felt that pain. Between now and when the final victim is taken, all shooting victims are at the mercy of Ahriman. He can take them whenever…and he's bound to know that something's up eventually."

Jade leaned up and whispered frantically. "Beck, what are you saying?" He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

"Ahriman can't touch you with a baby inside, Jade. He can still take Andre, Robbie, Cat, and even Rex. Then when that baby's born-I don't want him to claim you when you're on that operating table, Jade."

Trina sat upright and crossed her arms. "You're saying that you want me to free your friends sooner?"

"It'll take you some time to learn that chant, to practice leading ghosts and all that. It won't take you as long to pull off that individual possession thing…" His tears ran over his cheeks and he started to nod. "So yes, at least those of my friends killed in the shooting, the ones that would be claimed before they have a 'year of silence', I want-I _need_ them to be free before Ahriman has a chance to pick them off while you're preparing."

"Well it'll be good practice," Melinda stated, "It will definitely help Trina build her spiritual energy up." Jade started to frown and Beck looked into her concerned eyes.

"Are you sure, Beck?" He smiled sadly and she peered down for a split second. "They've been your supporters. If they're free now, you'll be all alone."

"I'll have you and I'll have Damian. Besides-" He chuckled through a sob and lifted his shoulders. "Andre and the others will be waiting for us on the other side. I just don't want them to suffer the pain of the fire…I can't feasibly allow another soul to go through that, and I…" He shut his eyes, remembering Brittney's bloodcurdling screams. "I don't want to see that coming from them. To be perfectly honest, they're the next on Ahriman's shit list, so I want to save them now."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over at Trina. "We'll do it," the girl responded slowly, "You're the hero here Beck. You make the judgment call, you're in charge. If you want to save them now, I'll do what I can."

"Thank you." Beck turned to Jade and cupped his hands around her face. His tears ran into his mouth and he swallowed them with his growing saliva. "Jade, you too. The minute that baby is born…" Jade's eyes widened and she slowly shook her head.

"Beck, I-"

"I will meet you on the other side, Jade. I won't have Ahriman steal you away, because I know he'll do it just to fuck with me." She started to whimper and he pulled her close, holding her in his arms as her whimpers turned to sobs. "You'll be there on the other side. I'm not going to watch him take you, or anyone else. I'm not taking the chance."

"I love you…"

"I love you too. We're going to make it, baby. I promise we will." He knew she wanted to cross that threshold together, and he wanted nothing more than to be with her when they crossed into the light, but it was going to have to wait. He wasn't going anywhere until every last person had gone on ahead, and that meant ensuring Jade's safety as well as his friends.

This wasn't something he wanted to do, this was something he felt he _needed_ to do.

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><p>Well after learning all that it takes, what are your thoughts? Do you think all the mediums banding together to tear Ahriman apart and free all the lost souls they can would be a good idea? What about his friends, choosing to individually free them, what are your thoughts on that?<p> 


	19. The Tragedy

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This chapter is a rough chapter, I should warn you. In order to find out who might be next that Ahriman is going after, Beck must get the details of the tragedy from Damian. That said, we will see Damian's path that day…

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><p>Chapter 19 (The Tragedy)<p>

"Okay Damian, I'm going to need your help here." Beck guided Damian to the cafeteria table and tossed a notebook down along with a blueprint of the school. He frowned when Damian cringed, as though the man knew what was coming. "Twenty years and I don't think you've ever discussed the path you took or way everything went down." Damian's eyes flicked up to his and slanted.

"I haven't wanted to. Why bother with me now?"

"Because…" Beck put his palm on the notebook and his brow furrowed. "Trina's been practicing, getting ready to free everybody. She'll do it as a group, but I requested something for her and now I need to know what order people died. Brittney was the last person Ahriman claimed, who is next?" Twenty people died during Damian's shooting rampage, that was as much as Beck could guess. Several more perished in the explosion.

Total there were about ten faculty members, including Mr. Sikowitz and Assistant Principal John Oxford, that died that day while trying to save students. "Why do you want to know who's next?"

"Because I need to save my friend individually before Trina's ready to do the group thing. I don't want Ahriman to claim them while he has a chance." His expression grew stern, so as to let Damian know he was not backing down from this. The only way he was going to know who to save first, the one closest to being claimed next, was to have Damian map out the events of that day. "And I know you know every name, every detail, because you've done nothing but think about that day for the last twenty years. So come on Damian, work with me here, I'm trying to save lives and I know you want them saved too."

Damian closed his eyes and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "You write the names, I don't need to write anything down." He jabbed his right temple and Beck sat fully on the chair. "I'll tell you what shit went down that day, fine. You should know the last of the shooting victims are all in Mr. Sikowitz's class, that's where I stopped-where I died." It was a start, so Beck grabbed his pen and pulled the notebook towards him, ready to jot down every important detail he needed.

The events 1991 on the day of the massacre was nothing but a flurried haze of anger and hatred years in the making. Damian spoke to no one in his family that day when he stole his father's pistol and walked to school with a backpack of makeshift explosions set to detonate when he pressed a single button.

His mind was set on one task, to eliminate the backstabbing friend of his, and he was going to take down the entire school with him. "Abandon me for a bunch of Neanderthals, go ahead." Beck didn't realize he was betraying their best friend, not even paying attention to what happened was like pissing on Sinjin's grave.

He approached the door, hiding his pistol underneath his black leather jacket. The first person he saw at the door was Monica Charleston, the best friend of Beck's girlfriend, an abomination to what used to be a solid friendship. "Her fault…" Monica held the door open for him.

"Hey Damian!" Monica had a long yellow ponytail and was wearing a purple top and knee length shorts. "How are you today?" He sneered and reached into his coat, growling at the girl. Slowly he removed the pistol and aimed it at her, it already had a silencer attached, so he wasn't going to alarm anyone with the first shot.

Her eyes enlarged as he approached her, and the books in her left hand dropped to the ground. "Your stupid friend ruined the best friendship I ever had. She killed my best friends, took my best friends away from me!" Monica's pink lips formed an oval, but before she had time to scream, he pulled the trigger and watched in horror as her body crumpled to the ground.

This was really happening, even when he first thought he wasn't going to go through with it, now he had to carry it out. He pulled himself away and stepped over her body in a robotic fashion, doing his best to disconnect himself emotionally. "Oh my god!" Cried another girl standing beside a boy. Damian knew them, Annabel Grant and Parker Fisher. The two had been dating for a month now, last seen at a movie theater, making out in the back row.

Two shots went out, and they were gone. The smell of blood and smoke burned his nostrils and he had to struggle to keep himself from fainting on the spot. Sweat dripped down the side of his face as he reached around to his backpack and into the unzipped portion.

As students began running, he became lost amid the crowd. His hand wrapped around one of the explosives and he attached it to a wall just before entering the lunchroom where Leroy Dixon was talking to his mother, one of the chief lunch ladies on staff.

He viewed the scene as though he were living outside his body, looking away as he shot mother and son. They grabbed each other's hand while a Janitor rushed to their aid. Mr. Greg Nelson collapsed next.

"What the hell, man?" The voice of Trent Lyson rang in his ears, but he could not hear the man. As the football player tried to tackle him, he felt his arm swing in front of him, then watched with empty eyes as the jock twisted and fell to the ground.

Before leaving he hooked the second explosive underneath a table in the cafeteria and frowned as numerous students ran.

Damian's next stop was the office. He often passed through here to get to his class, taught by Mr. Sikowitz. Michelle Abel was in there with a skinned knee, and Nurse Mary Tyson was in the process of putting iodine on.

As he exited the nurse's office, he looked over his shoulder and furrowed his brow at the two bodies. "It's too late to stop this," Damian whispered, "You all must go." Security was weak at this school, and this time of day was crucial because it was the one time that the school's officer would not yet arrive.

It was early enough that not every student was here, but just a few classmates of his would be there.

"Stop!" Alice Jones, a janitor, grabbed his arm as he tried to hook an explosive to the office desk. It fell from his hand and slid next to the door of the assistant principal, John Oxford.

Terrified of being stopped, he fought back. Alice was a heavyset woman with remarkable strength, and could easily overtake him. She backed him up against a wall and he felt a jolt of pain rush through him.

Then a gunshot went off and his eyes widened as Alice fell to the side. He peered down and sighed at the smoke leaving the nozzle of his weapon. Damian averted his eyes from the bleeding janitor and continued on the path that was most common to him.

As he cut through the library, he confronted the chief lunch lady, Susan Neels, who had run in there to contact the police. Beside her was Miguel Santos, he had been studying. His biology book lay open on the table next to the desk where they were standing.

After shooting off more rounds, Damian set another explosive down on the now blood stained pages and shut the cover of the book.

Once he left the doors of the library, Mr. Sikowitz's classroom was directly ahead. "Don't open that door!" Sikowitz screamed from the inside. Damian cried out to Beck, asking for his friend to let him in, but the teacher wasn't hearing it. "Beck, don't do it!"

Unfortunately Beck was loyal to Damian. He half expected his former friend to listen to the teacher. What happened next was but a blur, Beck was on the ground and moaning over a gunshot wound to the chest. Jade was hovered over him, screaming and pleading with Damian.

Yin Chi, a Japanese transfer student, and Brittney Santos were killed instantly by multiple gunshots. Catherine Valentine tried to escape out of the classroom, but he stopped her with a bullet to the back. When the girl fell, Robbie Shapiro, Andre Harris and Rex tried to rush him.

He dodged Rex's blow and shot him in the side of the head. "Sorry," Damian clenched his eyes and fired off multiple shots. When he opened his eyes, Andre and Robbie were sprawled out on the ground.

Beck was shouting at him, coughing in between words and gasping for air. "Why are you doing this, Damian? Tell me!" Damian stepped behind Jade and pointed the gun to the back of her head. The girl gasped and Beck screamed out. "No! Don't you do it! Don't do it, Damian, please! She's not a part of this."

"She's every part of this, bastard. She's the reason we're not friends anymore. She's ruined everything."

"Damian, no!" Blood splashed out and Jade collapsed over Beck. The boy threw his arms around her and buried his head into her back.

"Back the hell off my students." Damian's head snapped up and he watched as an adrenaline fueled Sikowitz shoved his desk into him. A scream tore from his lungs as his back slammed against the wall and his knees were pinned by the desk.

He aimed at another student in the classroom, but his vision was blurred by the sweat and hair in his face. "Oh god," He whimpered, "What have I-" A sudden blow struck his hand, forcing the gun to the side. When the gun landed on the ground, a shot rang out, striking him in the chest.

The student that hadn't been shot was now curled on the floor, shaking frantically and grabbing at her head while screaming at the top of her lungs. "Come on Lucy," Sikowitz urged, "We must get you out of here." Damian collapsed on the desk and groaned while watching the teacher leave the room.

As his vision began to fade, he reached into his pack and removed the remote detonator. "I knew I shouldn't have come to school today," he whined, "Goodbye."

"The rest of the victims were scattered throughout those places." Beck wrote down the notes with a heavy heart and a tight stomach. Hearing Damian recount the tale was hard enough, but he could also hear a tone of remorse and sorrow as the man's voice broke. When he looked up, Damian had tears running down his face. "I don't know what the hell possessed me that day, Beck. I just, I know anger and rage…I don't even know man."

"M-Mr. Sikowitz died in the explosion?" Damian nodded slowly and moved his hand up over his eyes. "He got Lucy out, and if he stayed out he would have survived."

"Anybody in any classroom survived, Beck. Sikowitz ran into the office to try and get the principal out. The principal was already out, Mr. Oxford was not-and that's when the bombs went off." Damian lowered his hand and tapped the table slowly. "Even Mrs. Baker. Rhonda's entire class survived, but she stepped outside to make sure the coast was clear. She was the first victim of the explosions."

Beck swallowed the bile coming up his throat and looked over to a brunette walking past. She had scaly, burnt skin, and a great deal of decay. "Denise Manchester was the last person to die, Damian. She died on the way to the hospital." Damian looked over and folded his hands together.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"You know what she told me the day before the mess?" Damian turned his eyes up and Beck tightened his lips together. "She wanted me to talk you into asking her out to the Spring Formal." Damian winced and dropped his head.

"Not the thing to tell me all these years later…"

"I know. There's a lot of things that I think, I wonder if anything could have changed. But…it happened, and now all we can do is make sure that whoever's next isn't taken by Ahriman before Trina has a chance to save the rest of us."

"Right…" Damian looked down at the notebook and curled a finger over his chin. "You bled out on the floor, the last of the people I shot that died." Beck nodded slowly as Damian began to point to the names he wrote down.

When he saw the name Damian was pointing to, his heart dropped to his stomach. "Cat died instantly. She was shot right after Yin and Brittney. Next to _die_ was Rex, and then Andre, even though Robbie got hit first. Then lastly, Jade."

"If only you had talked to me, Damian. You didn't have to do it-hell, you could have just killed me without taking forty-three other innocent lives. You never once had to shoot my girlfriend."

"I think, Beck, that we are past that."

"You're right…" He looked down at the list of names and closed his hand over his mouth. Cat was next, if he didn't get to her, Ahriman surely would. "Saving my friends is more important now. Thank you for your help, Damian."

"Don't mention it. Seriously." Damian exhaled and swept his hand through his hair. "Just do what you need to do. Be the hero. You always were."

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><p>Well there you have it, the exact details of what transpired that night, and the order that Ahriman would be going after: Cat, Rex, Robbie, Andre, Jade. What do you think? Do you think Beck will be able to save them?<p> 


	20. First Soul Released

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

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><p>Chapter 20 (First Soul Released)<p>

Trina had a couple days to practice with ghost possessions, and her strength was on the rise. Jason aided her tremendously with his presence, and actually helped with physical strength and stamina through her martial arts practice.

During her days of practicing, she couldn't help but to notice two very sorrowful departures. Cat's grandmother, Nona, and Andre's grandmother both passed away. While Andre's grandmother crossed into the light, Nona had stayed behind and was telling Trina that she didn't want to leave without her granddaughter.

Feeling ready to help Beck out by releasing Cat's soul now so that Ahriman wouldn't attempt to claim her, she told him to have his friends meet her at her place. "It's going to be rough," Trina said standing on the steps with Jason directly behind her. She was peering down at Tori, who was twiddling her thumbs on the kitchen table. "Tori isn't one to listen, she's not going to understand unless she sees it."

"Then what do you propose? Does she even know about the shooting?"

"Barely." She descended the stairs slowly, sliding her hand along the rail. She stopped midway, with her right foot on the next step and her left toes pushing off the prior step. Jason stepped directly behind her and grasped the railing with a firm hand. "I think what she does know of it, it was talked about by Sikowitz in that big Thriller production they did."

"Then Tori's going to think she's being put on."

"Definitely." Her sister also had the issue of putting bad news behind her and pretending as though it didn't exist. "Tori hates negativity, and this right here is going to be hell for her to hear." It was tempting to say nothing, but Tori needed to hear this now rather than wonder why all of her friends vanished without a trace, only to discover if she ever looked them up, that they died in a school shooting years before. "If it were you, Jason. What would you rather hear?" She looked over her shoulder and her chest expanded as she drew in a strong breath. "Would you rather hear the truth now, or just always wonder why they disappeared?"

"Death's all around Tori right now, she doesn't even realize it." He placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned his arm against her back while taking a step down to her level. "I'll be honest, I think if I were in her shoes, I'd want to know why my friends were about to disappear before they actually did. No matter how terrible or hard to believe that the news is."

"So be it, we tell her, and I guess she's going to be witness to our first freed person." It was going to be difficult since Tori likely couldn't see ghosts, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to be able to see everything else. "I have no idea what's going to happen when Cat's free. Her body…" She looked to Jason and pressed her lips together. "I have my ideas."

"What do you think?"

"Well, when Courtney was freed, all that remained of her was this thin layer of ash. It was like she'd been cremated. So, it stands to reason, that's what will happen to Cat. It'll likely be very visual too…"

"There are a lot of visual things that will probably be indicative of supernatural forces at work, so I'm not terribly shocked."

"Right." The doorbell rang and Trina watched her sister fly to the door, surprised and happy to see her friends. It was a heartbreaking sight, and while she wanted to avoid it altogether, she knew it was best to spare her sister the grief of never knowing and blaming herself for her friends' sudden departure. "I think Beck said he was going to break the news to Tori."

"Will you be okay?"

"I will be." She wiped away a tear and continued down the steps. "I have to remember, I'm just the sword in all of this. Beck is the hero, not me. Anyone that says otherwise doesn't understand."

"You know that you have the ability to make a ghost appear to a human." She was aware, but the truth was, it took a lot of her energy. She was going to do it this one time, to make things easy on Tori, but after that her energy would not be used to make ghosts visible to the untrained eye.

"I do, but I'm not going to make that happen outside of tonight." Melinda and Janan hadn't been contacted tonight. She tried to reach them to let them know that she was going to free Cat, but neither of them answered their phone. "Stay with me during this, Jason. I want you here if something goes wrong."

"I'm here." She placed a hand in his and stepped off the final step. They made their way to the couch and stood next to those seated. Tori was on the middle cushion, between Beck and Jade. Andre and Robbie were in the respective recliners, and Cat was standing with a trembling body.

The girl's eyes were misty and she was rubbing her hands against her blouse as though trying to wipe away the sweat. "How long do we have until Ahriman detects this?" Jason whispered. Trina leaned her head back and closed her mouth.

She wasn't certain if Ahriman would know in an instant or if it would be gradual. They'd have to be a step ahead of him at all costs, but she had a feeling Beck wanted to speed through releasing his friends.

Chances were, they'd do it a day at a time until reaching Jade. Trina saw the worry in Tori's eyes as she questioned why Cat looked so upset. She moved her eyes onto Beck and tensed upon seeing the yearbook and manila folder in his hands.

A chill ran down her spine and she turned her eyes over her shoulder. "Who's there?" She whispered. When she turned fully, she saw the clownlike woman that was Cat's grandmother. Nona smiled sadly at her granddaughter's back and approached carefully.

"The rest of our family lives in another state entirely," Nona sighed, "They didn't even attend my funeral. They'll never know about Catherine, but I won't hold that against them." Nona closed her hands and exhaled slowly. "I'm glad to be a part of this, but what is taking so long?"

"We need to explain to my little sister why she's going to lose her friends. She's never dealt with the concept of death or loss before, so this is going to be a big blow for her-but it's better she learn now than later."

"Oh I understand. I'll just sit behind and wait."

"No…" She felt her energy lowering and shook her head. "Appear when I call for you, please, but don't hang around. It takes my energy for you to hang around here, and I need to spend that wisely." Nona's mouth formed an oval and she nodded hastily.

"I'm sorry. I'll come when you summon me, then."

The elder woman vanished and Trina started to relax. When she turned her head, she saw Tori shaking frantically. "That's not you," Tori shouted, "That never happened and you're playing a very cruel trick!"

"I wish I could say we were," Beck frowned, "And I'm sorry but this is the way it has to be." Tori leaned back and sniffled while hugging her abdomen. Tears ran down her face as she knocked the yearbook and pictures off of Beck's lap.

"I won't look at those photos anymore. I-I know makeup when I see it." Trina brought her hand to her chest and turned her eyes to the pictures on the ground. They were very cryptic and haunting to look at, so much that seeing them made her want to throw up on the spot.

"These are your friends, Tori." She carefully lifted the photo of Beck and walked towards her sister. Tori crossed her arms and looked away when she took a seat between her and Jade. "Look, Tori. Look at the picture."

"No." Tori snapped at her and narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me you're a part of this joke, Trina."

"It's no joke. Do you think your friends would go this far to pull a prank on you?" Tori's eyebrows moved together and she started to whimper. "I know it feels like you've been deceived, but they essentially had no choice. There's a whole lot more to all of this that you don't know, or realize, so what Beck's telling you…is obviously what he wants you to know."

Tori threw her hand up and scoffed. "So I'm to believe that my friends, and forty other people at school-including Mr. Sikowitz-are cursed by some reaper and the only way to free them is to go through you?"

Seeing that there was no way to explain with words, as predicted, Trina slowly rose from the couch and closed her eyes while mentally calling Nona forth. "I'm going to do this one time, Tori, because you need to see it." Tori's lip pouted and Nona appeared in the center of the room.

Trina's body tensed and her stomach knotted up as she pushed her energy forward in an attempt to make Nona's presence known to Tori. Meanwhile, her sister was rubbing her arms and looking around the room, complaining about the sudden shift in temperature.

Then she stopped. The girl's eyes froze on Nona and her jaw fell. "N-No!" Trina's eyelids slid open and she put a hand to her stomach, staggering to the right some. Jason rushed to her side and put an arm around her waist while grabbing her hand with his free grip. She smiled at him and straightened herself.

"I'm okay Jason. Thanks." She watched Tori stand and move over, sliding her hand through Nona. "You're not seeing things." Tori stopped and turned her head. "Cat's grandmother volunteered to save her grandchild. She's the only one that can free Cat from the reaper's binding."

"I-I don't understand."

"Just watch." Nona stepped forward, asking Trina permission to enter into her body. Trina closed her eyes and spread her arms out, then felt a rush of air strike and enter her body. Her eyes and mouth flew open and she sought to relax herself so that Nona could take complete control.

"Trina?"

"Trina's not here right now sweetie," she heard her voice say. "I won't be long dear." Tori took a step back, swooning momentarily before shaking herself.

Trina saw her hand rise in front of her. There was a bright aura surrounding it, and this aura enveloped her body. Cat faced her and put her hands over her mouth. "N-Nona?" Nona pulled her lips into a smile and Trina could see her hand moving without her control.

It frightened her, and she wanted to fight the possession, but she did everything in her power to hold back. "It's okay sweetheart, I'm going to take you to the light with me. Say goodbye to your friends." Cat did as instructed and gave Jade tearful hug. It was in that final moment that Trina watched her hand and arm, supernaturally enchanted with Nora's essence, slide in through Cat's back.

The chains on Cat's body burst and Trina could see the girl's soul beginning to emerge as Nona pulled the hand from the body. The further out she emerged, the more her corpse turned into a soft, clean powder, much unlike what occurred to Brittney.

Tori's anguished scream caused Trina a great deal of nervousness. It was important to maintain absolute focus, for fear of breaking the possession too soon. Knowing that, Jason put a finger to his lips and Tori grew silent, save for a few subtle sobs.

A sudden force threw her back into Jason's arms and she looked up, weary and drenched with sweat. She smiled at Cat's ghost, standing arm in arm with her grandmother. Beck was beside himself with joy and the others were staring in astonishment while Tori stretched her arm out to the two spirits.

"It is done," Trina whispered, "You can cross into the light." Cat giggled happily as a strange light appeared in the room. When Trina looked up, she saw that it was coming from Cat's and Nona's bodies, and rising up from their feet.

"Thank you so much," Cat chimed. Her eyes darted to Beck and she blew him a kiss. "Beck, I can't wait to see you and Jade on the other side. I'll be waiting." Beck laughed through his tears and waved as Jade buried her face into his chest.

"Once I get everyone else over, Cat, and only then." Trina shut her eyes and felt her body go limp in Jason's arms. The last thing she heard before her consciousness faded was Tori screaming her name. The exertion of allowing two ghosts to be visible to an unseeing human was far too much, as she predicted it would be.

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><p>Ten chapters left-9, and the epilogue. What are your thoughts on this chapter? Cat is free and Tori now understands, or at least she knows what's going on. It took a lot out of Trina though, but that is to be expected.<p> 


	21. Saying Goodbye

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 21 (Saying Goodbye)<p>

Trina opened her eyes to the feeling of a cool rag compressing on her forehead. When she saw Jason above her, she smiled. "Hey baby," She whispered, "I guess I overdid it a little bit." He chuckled and pulled the rag from her forehead.

"Yeah, but you did a good thing." She closed her hands, feeling the warm bed between her fingers. "You've got some people here to see you, though." She hummed and sat up. Jason placed a hand to her back and helped her to lean back against the headboard. She looked across the room and saw Tori sitting in a chair, holding her arms around her legs.

Also in the room were Janan and Melinda. Janan was standing at the foot of the bed, her hands were on her hips and her lips were twisted in a disapproving frown. Melinda was sitting on the corner end and smiling calmly. "That was a good thing you did but dangerous as hell," Janan said. Trina moved her hands over the blanket and clutched the comforter tightly. "But in the end, we're glad you were able to free a soul."

"It had to be done." She frowned and slid her gaze onto Tori. "My sister wouldn't have believed why her friends had to leave her in any way otherwise." Tori snapped her head up and dropped her feet from the edge of the chair.

"You didn't have to nearly kill yourself," Tori scolded, "Not for me." Tori stood up and walked over, grasping the bedpost. Tori's knuckles were white and wet with a mixture of sweat and tears. The girl lowered her voice and dipped her head. "I still can't believe my friends are-you know. Janan and Melinda explained everything when they got here."

"Where's Beck and the others?" Furthermore, how did she get in the bed, but she was fairly certain Jason carried her up to her room. Tori looked over her shoulder and pointed to the door.

"Downstairs. I told them to stay while I had a chance to think." Tori rolled her head back and scoffed. "God, I can't believe they'd be in their thirties. So old." Trina laughed once and raised an eyebrow at the girl

"You just watched one of your best friends turn to ash before your eyes, and that's what you're worried about?"

Tori deadpanned and her voice fell flat. "I was hoping to forget about that for a little while."

"Sorry."

Jason leaned upright and looked between the two sisters. "Would the two of you like some time alone?" Tori nodded and Jason motioned to Janan and Melinda. The three left and Jason closed the door behind him, stopping to poke his head in for a moment. "Come get us when you guys are done, alright?"

"Sure."

Tori's shoulders sank and she climbed into the bed. She sat atop the comforter and within an inch of Trina. Her hands folded on her stomach and her eyes froze on the ceiling fan. "So. Trina." Trina smiled vaguely at the girl and tilted her head, resting it on the tip of Tori's shoulder. "Are you really wanting to move out? Be it a campus apartment or with Jason…it's not because of me?"

"No Tori. I just need to grow on my own, become more independent. I can't do that by staying in my family's home."

"Kind of…the whole leaving the nest thing?"

"Yeah." Her body slid down a bit and she lifted her head form Tori's shoulder. "I need to expand, to grow. Live my own life."

"I will miss you, you know." Tori smirked and turned her eyes to the door. "And it's not because of my friends. Though…I don't know what to think about that. I don't even know why you made me see that."

"Would you rather have had them vanish and never know? If one day you searched their name, all you'd find is a list of people that died in that shooting."

"Maybe that would have been harder to cope with." Tori's thumb slipped onto the surface of her hand and she studied it as she swept it across. "I never did get to say goodbye to Cat. It isn't like I didn't know them-yeah they died before I was born, but they were here…them, and forty other people." Tori rolled her head to the right and squinted her eyes. "Why does Beck want his friends to be saved individually right now? Why not wait until you're ready, until you're strong enough to get them all together?"

"Because he's worried Ahriman will go after them. Ahriman has free reign over the victims that died from the shooting. His contract states he's not going to do anything to the victims that died in the explosion for a year, and a reaper can't breach his own contract, so…Beck wants to ensure all the victims of the shooting cross over now."

"I see. And Rex? I heard Beck mention Rex was actually one of them." Trina chuckled and felt her sister shiver. "All this time I thought he was just a stupid puppet, with his every move being controlled by Robbie, but he was human?"

"Very much so." She could hardly believe it when she found out herself. Of course, so many crazy things were going on lately, so she wasn't going to deny even that. "And here I thought missing my period was the strangest thing to happen." She smirked when Tori's eyes went wide.

"What!" Tori leaned forward and looked at her while pointing at the door. "You've been with that out there, and you've missed your period? Oh god, aren't you using protection?" Trina laughed and waved her hand in the air, she wasn't about to torture her sister any more than she'd already been.

"I'm only joking Tori, I haven't missed any periods yet." Tori flattened her eyebrows and smacked Trina on the shoulder.

"Not funny!" Trina rubbed her throbbing shoulder and stifled a snicker. Tori fell back beside her and crossed her arms. "You are terrible sometimes, you know that?"

"What kind of sister would I be if I didn't mess with my baby sister once in a while?"

"I don't know." Tori stretched her arms out over her legs. The room grew silent and still, even the spinning blades of the fan seemed to slow as the girls listened to the silence that surrounded them.

Tori finally spoke up after some time. Her hand touched Trina's and there was a glimmer of moisture in the girl's eyes. "We don't have to say goodbye, do we?" Trina pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't want you to stay here because I'll be alone-you're right in that you need to grow, and so do I. My friends are, they're not monsters but they're not alive." Tori's voice broke and the girl quickly swept her thumb over her eyelids. "I don't know how to do this. To say goodbye to them, to say goodbye to you."

"I'm not going anywhere, Tori. This is not goodbye-"

"Yes it is. You're just not saying it, you don't see it." Trina furrowed her brow and watched her sister pull her right knee up and wrap her hands around it. "You leave, we go our separate ways like most families seem to do. You'll go off, marry and have a happy family. You'll get to be busy and won't have time for me anymore, and we'll see each other on Christmas and maybe Thanksgiving."

Tori started picking at her fingernails and focused her eyes on the nail. Trina set a hand to Tori's forearm and lowered it, drawing the girl's eyes to her own. "You're thinking way too far ahead." She smiled reassuringly at the girl and shook her head. "It doesn't have to be that way, and it may very well not be." Tori sniffled and averted her gaze. Trina pulled her hand up slightly and smacked her lips once. "This isn't about me. Is it?"

"Part of it."

_How do I say goodbye to what we had,_

_The good times that made us laugh outweigh the bad._

_I thought we'd get to see forever, but forever's gone away_

_It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday…_

The cemetery was dark and gloomy as Tori stood before the monumental plaque. To see this, and the angel on the top, made it so much more real. In her mind, she heard a tune that seemed that it would go well with a funeral, and that was Jason Miraz's _"So hard to say goodbye to yesterday"_, which she'd heard on the way over.

She could scarcely believe what she was seeing and feeling while running her fingers along the names. Her fingers glossed over Cat's name and she pressed her forehead against the plaque, struggling to breathe as the rain poured around her.

The pain in her chest worsened with every beat of her heart, and every flash of memory she'd had of her friends. When she turned to her sister behind her, and the people that surrounded them, she saw that they were all dry.

"Does it help?" Trina approached her and placed a hand to her shoulder. "Seeing the plaque, and the monument, does it help you?"

"A little bit." She couldn't fathom the loss of life, nor could she understand how one person could just snap. "This is my way of saying goodbye. And…growing up means we have to say goodbye sometimes."

"Right."

"So be it…"

_I don't know where this road is going to lead  
>All I know is where we've been and what we have been through<br>If we get to see tomorrow, I hope it's worth all the wait  
>It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday<em>

She knelt beside the monument to place the bouquet of roses before it. Even though her friends were standing behind her, it wasn't the same. She couldn't explain it, even to herself, but she felt like she needed to say goodbye to them through this gesture. Even to Cat, and all of the other victims.

"You helped me when I first arrived at that school," she whispered, "You were my friends." She closed her eyes and reached up to her shoulder, placing her fingers over her sister's comforting hand. "I'm going to miss you, but I hope…all of you will find shelter."

Another sob drifted from her lips and she gasped when Trina's hand left her. As her eyes slid open, she heard Trina say something to Rex. When she looked over, Trina made eye contact with her and whispered the words of another song. "Can I help you say goodbye?"

It was something she had to do. She wiped her eyes and looked up to the plaque, uttering each name under her breath as Trina channeled the spirit of Rex's deceased brother.

_And I'll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain  
>It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday<br>And I'll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain  
>It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday<br>It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday_

She closed her eyes and shook her head. The memory of Andre on the piano grabbed at her, and the thought of sharing the dance floor with Beck or singing with Jade took her breath away. Each laugh she had with Cat caused only pain inside her heart.

She could not and would not watch as Rex's brother broke the curse and freed him. When the deed was done, she felt someone next to her and looked up to her sister. Trina was breathing heavily and staring at the plaque with calm eyes.

"It will get better in time, Tori. I'm sure it will."

"The happy memories cause me pain."

"I know…but those will be the ones that you'll end up holding closest to your heart if you let them. It has to be this way." Trina pulled her up to her feet and started to smile. "It will get better."

"Sure. Then you'll leave." Trina said nothing, but pulled her into a hug that comforted and warmed her.

"I'll always be here, Tori, and don't you forget it. It's just a part of growing up, but growing up doesn't always mean goodbye. Not when it comes to family." Tori reached around her and buried her head into her shoulder.

"I love you, Trina."

"I love you too." Trina leaned back and pat her upper arms, smiling into her eyes. "Now keep your head up, okay?" Tori chuckled nervously and Trina tapped a finger under her chin. "Beck wants me to help save the rest of his group, and that's what I'm going to do. Whether or not I'm living with you, mom and dad, I want you to know that I'll always be there for you when you're thinking of them…and they will too, wherever they're going, they'll be looking down."

"Yeah…so maybe it will get better."

"It will sis, just you wait and see."

* * *

><p>So in the midst of all this emotion Rex is freed. More importantly, Tori will start to let go. I figured that even though she's not a major part of this story that it is still important to explore some of what she is going to deal with. I suppose the conversation with Trina went well. Hard as it is, sometimes letting go of the ones you love is the best thing you can do. Hmm, did I just allude to Beck in a later chapter? Well, stick around and find out.<p> 


	22. Plans of Death

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 22 (Plans of Death)<p>

"It's a little quieter with them gone…" Jade cuddled alongside Beck on the couch and shut her eyes as he moved his arm around her shoulders. He missed Cat and Rex as well, but he was glad they were safe. "Did you check on their families?" Beck nodded and leaned his head back against the top of the couch.

"I had David do that, but I went with him." Cat's elder brother had been in town, so it wasn't difficult to find him. The man had been aware Cat was still wandering around after death. "Ryan said no one in the family wanted to accept that she was still around, so they abandoned her with Nona."

"Did you tell him she finally crossed over?"

He reached up to his hair and shook his fingers in his hair for a second, grooming it and tending to an itch beneath. "Yeah. He was relieved." He explained the curse to Ryan, and it took a moment for the man to buy it, but there ] was no better explanation for why she hadn't gone on ahead. "He said he liked to think she was just waiting until Nona passed, to help her grandmother cross over." Jade chuckled softly.

"That does sound like something she would have done."

"He's got three children, two boys and one girl. His daughter is named after Cat." He saw pictures of the man's family and was thrilled to see his ten year old daughter looked just like Cat did. "That family hasn't had a lot of good things happen to them over the years. Her young brother, Louis, has been to jail a couple times for various things, and her parents haven't been in the best of shape either."

"Maybe it's a good thing she didn't know all that." He didn't want to say it was for the better that she didn't, but Cat likely would have wanted to know. "What about Rex's sister?"

"That was a fun experience." He chuckled to himself and Jade lifted her head, studying him with a raised brow and half a frown. "Rex would have been so damn proud." Jade leaned upright and crossed her arms. Her eyelids slanted halfway and he started to scratch at the back of his neck, seeing her suspicion.

"Robbie _told_ me you and Rex went down there a while back." She spoke slowly and with a sternness that could strike fear into the hearts of Ahriman himself. "He said something about an abusive boyfriend-what did the two of you do?"

"Well it was mainly Rex, sweetie-"

"You allowed it."

"Yeah." He dropped his arms to his lap and slouched. "Okay, so Rex wanted to scare the guy. He did." Jade smacked him upside the head and he laughed once at the pain. "Hey, that hurt."

"You know we don't do things like that. It's wrong." She sank back in the couch and rolled her eyes. "We're not zombies, Beck. We don't hurt the living, even if they are assholes and douchebags."

"I know." The sad truth was that a few of the ones that were cursed had turned to doing bad things over the years. It was amazing that all of them were still reachable. "Anyway, when her boyfriend said something about her psychotic brother and a puppet attacking him, she thought he was crazy. He did try to hit her again after a while, but she told him she wasn't standing for it anymore and had a kid to protect, and she left the man."

"Good for her. I'm glad she's going to be okay, and I think Rex would be happy about that too, wherever he is." Jade moved her hands to her stomach and Beck peered down at them. Her chest expanded with the rise of her shoulders and her lips sank. "What are we going to do about the baby? I'm clearly having this child so what does that mean…"

"Dad doesn't want to raise it." Unfortunately Kyle said as much as he loves having a grandchild on the way, he's in no position to raise a kid. "I actually agree, I don't think he's fit to take care of another child." He placed a hand over Jade's and pulled his lips back, forming an indention in his cheeks. She looked up into his eyes and furrowed her brow. "He's nearly seventy, spends his days alone at the house, drinking. I think having grandchildren will change his life for the better, but there's no way I think he can handle raising one."

"Yeah, and not our child." Jade exhaled and dropped her head on the back of the couch. "My dad's seventy one, his health is failing badly, and god knows where Mom's at. What about Linda?"

"You know I don't know where my little sister is. How are we going to show up at her doorstep with a baby and say 'will you raise our child'?" He emitted a frustrated scoff and smacked the armrest. "We may as well be setting ourselves up to have our baby ridiculed by her aunt and grandmother for the rest of her life."

"You're right." Jade was perplexed, and her face bore a mixture of sorrow, frustration and anger. "I don't want to put our baby through adoption. The doctor says he thinks she'll be born with a number of issues at this rate, we need to give her to someone that will take care of her and understand what she's going to be dealing with."

He tucked in his lower lip and bit down. His eyes narrowed and his right hand pat Jade's shoulder gently. "Yeah." She put her head to his shoulder and whined out her aggravation. "You know what I'm thinking?" He brought his left hand over his mouth and chin. "Very seriously right now, and I don't see other alternatives."

"What?"

"Well. We know David has his hands full already, and he probably doesn't want to raise another child himself-much less another child from cursed dead people." It pained him to phrase it like that, but in his heart and in his mind, he knew it was the truth. "But I can see him helping to raise it, he'd be a good uncle in that sense, but he wouldn't want to raise the child himself." Jade's head lifted about an inch and her lips pursed.

"You're not thinking?"

"I say we ask Trina." She perked her head up and her jaw fell open as she spoke her concerns about Trina's current situation. She raised some valid points, that Trina was still going to be starting college in the fall, and was likely moving in with Jason to be with him. "That's just it, Jade. She's not going to be working when she goes to college, right?"

"I guess not, but she'll have her studies."

"True, and if she moves in with Jason-who is working. Granted he's inching his way to a Bachelor's degree, he's still got an income and an apartment in the city that's close to the university and close to both David and my dad…"

"Location isn't an issue." Jade hummed to herself and crossed her arms. "Well, she's a medium too-and there's no question our child's going to grow up experiencing things with the supernatural. I don't think Trina would try to hide or cover that up. It's just that she's so _young."_

Beck chuckled at that and Jade looked up at him curiously. "Imagine that. You and I are calling Trina young, and by all technical means, she's older than either of us." She smiled and shook her head. "Think about it Jade, she's really the only one I can think of, and she's the closest relation that can help-our baby is her cousin, after all."

"It is something to consider, and, probably our best bet if we want to keep our kid from going through foster care." Foster care wasn't an option, not with all the problems their child was going to end up having medically and personally upon birth. Chances were unlikely that the child would end up with a caring family in such a situation.

"Not an option. Our child wouldn't survive foster care."

"Trina it is, then."

He drove her back to her place and they stayed silent for a good portion of the drive. All the while, Jade wasn't feeling well and Beck was trying to think about how to approach Trina with the idea of having a baby. "Thank god the school year is coming to a close," Beck muttered as he turned onto Jade's street, "Trina graduates and she'll have the summer off."

"Trina's moving in with Jason over the summertime, Beck."

"Even still, it helps." Beck tilted his head to the right and laughed. "Hey Jade, graduation day is the twenty-sixth. What are the chances that we're all saved then?" Jade laughed once and spoke up in a mock announcer voice.

"Presenting the graduating class of 1991. Twenty years too late."

He could see flashing lights in the distance, blinding him. Beck had to squint his eyes and turn down the visor of the car to see more clearly. "Jade, that's an ambulance up ahead." When she screamed out, he slammed his foot on the brake.

"It's in front of my house, Beck!"

"What?" He parked alongside the curb and stared ahead as his heart began pounding. Jade nearly fell out of the passenger side of the car and stumbled to her feet as she ran for a stretcher being carted out by the paramedics. "No, it can't be."

His body fell limp and he forced himself to leave the car, only able to watch as Jade collapsed onto the ground. The stretcher had a white sheet pulled over the head of the person being carted away, an image he was all too familiar with.

Beck approached and knelt beside his screaming wife and put his arm around her shoulders. "Jade…" He spoke softly as she fell into his chest with violent sobs. "I'm sorry."

"Heart attack," A voice spoke. Beck's eyes widened and Jade's trembling came to a sudden stop. He slowly turned his head and glared out at Ahriman.

"How dare you show up here!"

"Spare me." Ahriman rolled his eyes and spread his hands out, chuckling softly. "I'm a reaper, it's my job." He preferred any other reaper, not this one. Beck clenched his teeth and snarled at the laughing reaper.

"What did you do, Ahriman? What the hell did you do?"

The reaper slid his icy fingers through his hair and shrugged. "I did my job. Henry West suffered a heart attack while preparing a meal for himself, he didn't have time to call for help and died on the kitchen floor." Ahriman motioned to the right and Beck followed his motion to a pay phone. "I decided to play nice, called it in for the paramedics once I arrived."

"You bastard." Jade shot up and grabbed the reaper by the tufts of his shirt. Her angry eyes glared into his and her voice rose above the departing ambulance siren. "You didn't curse him, tell me you didn't curse my father!" Ahriman's eyelids fell halfway and his thin smile faded into a long line across his face.

"I don't curse every soul that meets me, just the ones that ask to make a deal. Your father asked for no deal." The man's mouth flicked into a smirk and his half-lidded eyes narrowed. "He did ask that you be free, but I cannot break my own contracts." Jade stumbled back and Beck caught her from behind. "Your father adamantly refused to cross, much like that Nora woman from a week ago. So sad, but sometimes mortals curse themselves to becoming ghosts."

"W-Why wouldn't he cross? Why wouldn't he go?"

"Turns out, he wanted his daughter." Ahriman took a step forward and Beck tensed as the reaper leaned forward, glaring into Jade's eyes. "Don't think that baby inside your belly is going to protect you for much longer. Everyone knows that if two cursed ones have a child, that child is destined to be premature-it's just a matter of how premature." Beck's heart stopped and Jade threw her hands up over her mouth. "And I'll be right there waiting to collect yet another soul."

"You won't have her," Beck growled, "I'll see to it you won't have her."

"Ah yes…" The man leaned upright and started to chuckle. "The hero saves the day once more." Ahriman raised two fingers and snarled at him. "Two may have slipped through thanks to that medium of yours, but don't think I won't make you watch as I take the other of your most loyal friends…and I'm going to enjoy witnessing you break apart over their slow, tormented screams."

"Go to hell!"

"I've been there. Quite nice, actually." Ahriman turned and waved his hand in the air. "Good luck Beckett, it won't be much longer now." The reaper stopped a few feet away and threw his head back with a laugh before turning his glare over his shoulder. "How was it your sister's soul was finally claimed, Beck?" A numbness overtook him and he turned his eyes down at Jade. "I'm forced to go in order of death, with the exception of you and Damian…but feel free to keep your friends around, either way, I'll see you and your sweet little wife on the delivery table. Farewell, Beckett."

With that, he was gone. Jade dropped to her knees and Beck screamed a curse at the open air where the reaper had once stood. Time was running out, and now he was second guessing himself.

There was a chance Ahriman was messing with him. He could pick Andre and Robbie off at any point between now and whenever the baby would be born. Since Ahriman was a reaper, that meant he knew not only when someone would die, but when someone was to be born.

"I'll save all three of you," he whispered, "He won't trick me into using Andre and Robbie as a shield." His fists balled up and he screamed at the top of his lungs, as though Ahriman could hear him. "Hear me? I won't play your fucking game."

* * *

><p>So Jade's father is dead, and refuses to cross over. It looks like Ahriman's making plans to claim her soul on the delivery table. Seems quite a bit has happened here, and it isn't getting easier for Beck.<p> 


	23. Goodbye to Christy

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 23 (Goodbye Christy)<p>

"This is getting to be hellish," Beck heard Robbie say from behind. They were seated in the pews of a chapel, all dressed in black. A preacher stood in front of a large black casket. Jade's father could be seen from the torso up, his ashen face appeared strangely serene. "Andre's at his grandma's funeral right now, she died within a day of Henry."

"I know that," Beck whispered harshly. He glanced around the pews and shifted uncomfortably beside Jade. It didn't seem right that no one was here besides them, Kyle, and Trina's family. Henry didn't have any family left, though he was the youngest son. Even his wife didn't show, but that wasn't much of a surprise. "I think there's even less people at Diane's funeral, but I wish someone would check on Andre."

He didn't feel comfortable with Andre being alone, not with Ahriman breathing down all of their necks. "Janan and Melinda are with him, so he's not going to be attacked." Robbie leaned forward and folded his arms on the top of the pew. "Would he really strike during a funeral?"

"No one expects it." When Andre's grandmother passed, Beck asked Trina to check if she'd crossed over like Ray said she might do. It was confirmed that Diane was now on the other side, which meant Trina wouldn't be able to channel the woman when it came time to free Andre. Or if she could, it would take up a great deal of energy and the process would be incredibly difficult. This was the reason mediums worked with ghosts that hadn't yet crossed.

Next to him was his father, gazing at Henry's body with a long face and misty eyes. "God," Kyle whispered, "Tell me I won't be alone like this when I die." Beck turned to his father and tried to muster a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure you won't be, Dad. Dave will take care of you, and so will Trina. He wouldn't suggest such a thing if he wasn't confident in it. Kyle was a part of that family, like it or not. "I don't think Lisa would be too thrilled if they didn't, and according to Trina, she was looking pretty scary the last time she saw her, so I don't think anyone's looking to piss her off just yet."

The corner of Kyle's mouth twitched and a single chuckle fell from his lips. "Little known secret about your sister. She got what she wanted, and she could be fairly fearsome to anyone that got in her way."

"Yeah." Beck looked to the pallbearers and felt Jade's hand tense around his as they lifted the casket. "I want to say Henry would be waiting on the other side, but he chose not to cross over." Kyle rolled his eyes and turned away.

"Don't tell me that."

After the funeral, they were met by Andre. His grandmother's burial ended half an hour before Henry's did. They were relieved to see him, but even with his presence, Beck didn't trust that Ahriman wouldn't be just around the corner. "Not knowing when he'll strike is the hardest thing," Andre said while pushing his hands into his pockets, "All the way over here I was looking over my shoulders. I'm telling you man, I'm scared to death, and that's no pun."

"I'm sorry man." Beck pat him on the shoulder and looked out among the graves. "I should have sent somebody else with you." Andre chuckled once and shrugged his hand away.

"Nah, it's okay. There were a bunch of ghosts at the funeral." Beck's eyebrows rose and Andre smirked heartily. "Nothing like having a little supernatural protection, right? Ahriman wasn't about to set foot in a place with a shit ton of ghosts waiting around two powerful mediums."

Beck laughed once and turned his attention to Trina. She was staring at something in the distance, but the look on her face was that of discomfort and confusion. "Trina, what's the problem?" He followed her look to see a tall woman with sandy brown hair and a narrow face walking towards them.

This woman had a smug grin, narrow eyes, and a crimson tint on her body that was darker than what Trina described Lisa as having. "It can't be." Trina stepped forward and narrowed her eyes. "That's Christy." Beck's jaw dropped and the woman waved her hand through the air. "But not only was she devoured by a reaper, she as a _kid_."

"Be wary," Janan extended her arm out and over Trina's chest. "Some ghosts are evil, and others still are controlled by a greater force." Trina laughed and shook her head.

"Christy wasn't evil, though. She was a good, harmless spirit."

"You said she was devoured by a reaper?" Janan's eyes narrowed and Beck frowned as the girl continued to approach them. Trina sighed in defeat and shook her head.

"Can a ghost be controlled by a reaper?"

"Look more closely, Trina, and ask yourself if that's a ghost or a demon."

"Hey," Christy grinned from ear to ear and pushed her hand through her long brown hair. "Trina, it's so great to see you after all these years." Beck watched carefully over his niece. He knew this would be difficult for her, since it was hitting so close to home. "You'll never believe the deal I was given."

"Deal?" Trina swallowed hard and Christy's slanted gaze shifted onto Robbie. "Deals in the afterlife aren't good, Christy. Also, you were a kid when I last saw you, ghosts don't age. Not only do they not age, but they don't come back from a reaper unless the reaper was killed by a medium."

"Yes." Christy frowned and shot her gaze back to Trina. "But I'm not a bad ghost. I was just given permission to meet you, and thought it would be better if I was closer to your age." Beck got the feeling that something wasn't right. He looked around the cemetery, wondering if Ahriman was anywhere in sight. "So introduce me to your friends, Trina. Namely…" Christy pointed to Robbie, then Andre. "Those two."

"Don't talk to her," Beck warned, "Something isn't right about this." There was no way Christy was a good spirit, not now. "Remember she was eaten by that reaper." Trina was trembling and starting to shift her feet towards the girl. His eyes darted to his niece and his lips twisted into a deep frown. "What did that reaper look like? Do you remember?"

"Silly, I was freed." Christy spread her arms out and laughed. "The reaper let me go." Trina started to smile and move again, but before she could, Jason grabbed her hand. She looked up at him and he was staring ahead at Christy with an angry and protective glare.

"It's not safe."

"He's right," Melinda said, "There are dark forces that will always try to trick a medium. If you're not careful, then those evil beings are the ones that could truly cause a medium a great deal of damage-if not death. Do not approach her."

"Who are these people?" Christy frowned. "Who are they to tell you that your best childhood friend is a demon?" Christy started walking towards Andre, but stopped when he threw his hands up and backed away from her. "I'm not going to bite." Christy turned her eyes onto Robbie and wagged her eyebrows. "Much."

As she walked, her hips twisted in a slow seductive fashion and her eyes narrowed onto Robbie like a tigress eyeing her prey. Robbie remained frozen, paralyzed by her gaze.

"Let me show you, I'm just a woman enjoying my freedom. I'd love to share that with all of you…"

Trina closed her eyes, wincing as she stammered over the description of the reaper from her memories. Astoundingly, the reaper sounded identical to Ahriman's true form. "That's him, then," he spat out. Trina whimpered and shook her head as Christy stopped to turn. "She's one of Ahriman's victims. He's using her as a puppet, using her to make you weak so he can get one of us from under our nose. She's dangerous!"

He lunged forward as Christy began to fly towards Robbie. Thinking fast, he shoved Robbie to the ground and looked up in time to see Christy pass over them. There was only one way to deal with rogue ghosts, or in this case, demons, and it looked as though Janan and Melinda were going to leave it up to Trina.

Janan spoke a word that caused Christy to freeze in place. The demon scowled and her eyes turned into black pools. "You have to disperse her," Janan said while reaching into her robe. Trina shook violently as the tears ran along her cheeks. "It's the only way to ensure she does not return."

"Isn't there a way to keep her from having to go back there?" Trina looked up to Janan and whimpered as the woman removed a rosary. "Please? I-I can't send her back."

"There's nothing you can do for her."

"But…"

"She's right Trina." Beck helped Robbie to his feet and dusted off his pants. Trina bowed her head and her tears fell off her face. "Even if there was something we could do, Ahriman would just reclaim her." Beck walked towards her and put a hand to her shoulder. "Look at me…" She raised her head and scrunched her nose.

The sight of her tear-blocked gaze tore him apart. "You need to be strong, Trina. You're the medium who is going to free us." Trina wiped her eyes and breathed in sharply.

"Why me? Why does it have to be me?"

"Because who better?" He smiled at her and brought his second hand up to her other shoulder. "You're my sister's daughter-and you are just like her in so many ways. Intelligent, sassy, driven…Lisa would be proud of you, and I think she is. The fact that you're also aiding her brother, I think she would say…'who else but my daughter'." Trina started to smile as he laughed. "Yeah. I can see that. I can see her posing and putting on the proudest expression, maybe getting a little bigheaded like she always did. So why not you?"

"I…yeah…" Trina wiped away her eyes and took a step back. Her eyes moved over to Christy and her lips fell back into a frown. "But sending Christy back down there? How can you ask me…" Christy snarled and Beck looked at the demon, then removed his right hand to point at the creature.

"That right there isn't Christy. Or she is, but you shouldn't think of her like that." He turned and crossed his arms. "In fact, the Christy you knew? That's the one you should remember. Keep in mind, there's a chance to save her too even after…when you and the other mediums lead the ghosts against Ahriman and kill him. You have to put this version of her away, and remember that when you release his last few victims, you'll be releasing the playful little girl that you used to run around with. You'll release _that_, not a demonic puppet of a reaper."

"It's the reason Ahriman chose her," Jade marveled quietly. Trina looked over and nodded once, seeming to understand. "He chose her because he knew you'd have trouble resisting someone so close to you. So Beck's right, just don't think of this thing as Christy-think of the little girl that you are going to free along with so many of our friends that he's claimed."

"Okay…" Trina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I can do that." She took the rosary from Janan and approached the paralyzed demon with a slow gait. Beck watched with pride as Trina stopped before her. "I'm sorry Christy, but this isn't who you are…you're not a demon."

Christy hissed at her and opened her mouth, flicking out a long pointed tongue.

"I have to be strong, and I will be. I won't forget you, Christy…I will be back for you, and I'll release the small girl that I used to laugh and play with when I was a girl." She chuckled sorely and shook her head. "Go figure my best friend when I was a kid was a ghost, right?"

Trina stared at the demon for a moment and looked at Robbie, who was still recovering from the shock of having nearly been taken out by the creature. "The Christy I know would never want to be a part of a reaper's plan. So I don't know what you're trying to prove, but you mock my friend and insult her." Trina clenched her fist around the rosary and raised her hand up. "Goodbye Christy."

Beck's lips pressed firmly together as he watched Trina's hand sail through the demon. In an instant the demon was gone, leaving behind red smoke. Trina watched the dispersion and soon dropped to her knees, sobbing once for her old friend.

Jason moved to her and pulled her into a hug. Beck closed his eyes and bowed his head, leaving only his thoughts for Christy before speaking up to Trina. "You did good, kid. Now come on, let's all get out of here…"

* * *

><p>So two funerals and a spirit now controlled by Ahriman. A close call for Robbie. Well, it looks like Trina's becoming more and more ready to take on this threat though, it does mean making hard decisions. Your thoughts?<p> 


	24. All in a Day's Work

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 24 (All in a Day's Work)<p>

"I don't know, I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Trina spread her feet apart and crouched into her fighter stance, ready to spar with Jason. She was wearing a thin white tank top, long black jogging pants, and no bra. She was hoping that this would distract him. Of course, his eyes were glued on hers, and he was dressed in an outfit that was just as sexy and showed off his muscular tone, which was distracting her. "Why must you dress so sexually, Jason?"

"You know it's funny." He ran his fingers through his hair and flashed a toothy smirk. "I could ask you the same, but I know you do it to try and distract me, but I'm too focused." He began to circle, moving towards the right by stepping over his right foot, then sliding that foot out. Trina mimicked the move and sucked in a deep breath.

"I'd like to focus." Her eyes dropped down to his feet, then slowly rose to the bulge in his pants. She swept her tongue across her lips and slid her gaze up to the firm chest and muscles beneath his loose, white t-shirt. "Maybe we don't spar today, sweetie?" Jason laughed once and shook his head.

"Your mind shot into the gutter, didn't it?" She huffed and reached up to grab her ponytail, then through it angrily over her shoulder.

"And yours didn't?"

Jason's eyebrow rose and his handsome smirk deepened on his face. "Oh my mind's always in the gutter, babe. I've just built up an immunity." He rolled his head to the right and wagged his eyebrows. "If it makes you feel any better, I'd love to take you to the bed and ravish you after I win our sparring match." Her heart skipped a beat and she mocked him with a laugh.

"It'll be me ravishing you, and I'm going to win." She ran her fingers slowly along her collarbone, then pulled the left strap of her tank top off her shoulder. Her lips spread apart an inch and she turned her head to her shoulder while sensually turning her eyes to him. When she saw movement in his thighs, she smirked. "Immune, my ass." He looked down and huffed in surprise.

"Well what do you know, betrayed by my second brain."

"I still say we skip the match and get to the fun part that involves you, me, cuddling up under a blanket and then-" Just then the doorbell interrupted their conversation. She snapped her glare to the steps leading out of the basement and groaned loudly. "Are you expecting any visitors?" Jason straightened his body and lowered his hands.

"No."

"Great." She rolled her eyes and grabbed the purple shirt from the table, then threw it on and adjusted it as she ascended the stairs. "If it's your uncle or my uncle, then what do you say we just ignore them?"

He laughed heartily and hurried to the door. "I think that would be a bad move." Trina pulled her ponytail out from beneath her shirt and crossed her arms while Jason answered.

To her surprise, the visitors weren't anyone she recognized. It was a teenage girl around Tori's age, and a younger girl. Behind them was a woman that she could only assume was their mother. "Um, okay?" She approached them cautiously and furrowed her brow. "Hi there, can I help you with something?"

"We're the Hathaway family," the mom spoke, "and this is going to sound silly but-" Just then Ray appeared in the living room, startling both Jason and Trina. She shot a glare at the ghost, which intensified when his two sons appeared with him.

"Bad time," Ray laughed, "Don't worry about the awkward explanations. Trina knows me." Trina's eyelids fell halfway and she glanced over to see Jason walking to the kitchen.

Her lip pouted when he grabbed an orange from the bowl and began peeling it. She hated moments like this, and wondered if this was going to be a frequent thing in the future. "You know, it is a bad time," Trina said quietly. "Ray, I was kind of hoping for some alone time with my boyfriend." Jason looked up from the orange and waved his hand.

"Trina, it's fine. They came all this way from, where is it, New Orleans?" With a sigh of defeat, she turned to them and smiled politely.

"We're sorry for interrupting anything," Michelle said. "I'm Michelle and these are my two daughters, Frankie and Taylor." She pointed to the youngest, then the oldest, and looked up with a small smile. "We live in the house that Ray and his sons are in, and they told us that they're about to leave and we wanted to see them off…"

"So you can see them. Are you mediums too?"

"I'm not sure. We've always kind of sensed stuff, and we've been able to see the boys, so…maybe. We just wanted to meet you."

"Great." She'd be more than happy to help them say goodbye to Ray and the others. Of course she'd already planned on releasing Andre today, so this wasn't out of her way. "Well you've met me. Come on in." She waved them in and smiled as they entered while thanking her.

"Is it true that Ray's third son is bound here?"

"Yes. I'm going to release him today with Ray's help, and hopefully, they'll all be able to cross over together." She watched Michelle smile, then gaze sadly at the boys. It was difficult because she knew they were going to miss them, but there truly wasn't anything she could do. "It would be bad for them to stay forever, much less impossible…"

"I know. It's just, the house is going to be a lot quieter with them gone."

"Yeah," Frankie exclaimed while looking to the youngest boy there. "Louie, who's going to help me trade Taylor's shampoo with shaving cream?" Trina stifled a laugh while Taylor rolled her eyes and Louie grinned. "It's going to be many long days without you around…I don't want to say goodbye."

"We're not going anywhere so much," Ray said while hopping from the couch. "We'll still be around, just not in the way we are now."

"Yeah," Louie added, "And we'll never forget you guys. Right Miles?" Miles smiled at the girls and nodded.

It would be an emotional farewell, but Trina was glad it would be done before she had to release Andre. At that point, the guys needed to focus on him. However, she would have preferred they do this in New Orleans.

"So." Jason set the orange down on a paper plate and leaned forward over the counter, planting his palms on the surface. Everyone looked at him and he stared at the Hathaway girls with a thin lipped and tired expression. "What brings you to Los Angeles? This seems like a farewell that could have been done in Louisiana."

"We wanted to see the process," Taylor remarked. Trina was stunned to see Jason actually asking the question, she wouldn't have bothered to say anything. When she looked over, she was perturbed to see the girl's eyes moving along the man's body. "You work out?"

"I do, but I work out for one woman." Trina's cheeks burned and she bowed her head as Jason flashed a hot smirk in her direction. "Go on ahead Trina, I'll wait here while you do your thing with Andre. I'm sure his brothers and dad are eager to see him."

Trina pouted her lip and slid her eyes up at him. "You're not coming with us?" He laughed and turned around, reaching for the knife drawer.

"No, I think I'll make myself a fruit salad, throw in some protein, and watch a bit of the game or something." Trina leaned forward and sniffed the air, not expecting to catch anything.

Jason turned back around and began slicing carefully through the orange while also peeling off the final portion of the skin. Oh, to be that orange, she thought to herself. "Well." Her nose twitched and she turned up a smile at him. "Save some food for me then, I'm going to be hungry when I get back." He tossed a slice into his mouth and raised his eyebrows up.

"There'll be plenty to go around, dear."

She met with Beck and the others at her home, or at least, where she lived until she was to move. This seemed a good place to be when releasing spirits. Andre was present but he was nervous as well as excited.

The Hathaway women were seated on the couch, watching tearfully and in awe as Ray entered into Trina's body. "Are you ready to come home, son?" Andre hugged Beck and looked around for Tori, but the girl didn't want to watch these things.

"I know I've already told Tori goodbye, but I can't help to feel like I want to say goodbye again."

"There's been too many goodbyes," Robbie marveled under his breath. Beck agreed and Robbie wiped away a tear. "It's hard to see you go man, but I'm glad at the same time." Andre smiled at him, then pointed over to Beck.

"I better see the both of you." Beck laughed somewhat silently and Jade threw her arms around Andre in a tight but friendly hug. "You too Lady." He stepped back slowly and spread his arms out. "What can I say? The eighties were a hard time for someone like me, even at that time, and you took me in."

Beck reached for Andre's hand, shaking it firmly, then throwing his other hand up to Andre's shoulder and gripping it. "This isn't goodbye, Andre." Beck's eyes were heavy and his lips thinned. "We'll meet again." Andre started to choke up and he pulled away from Beck.

"We better, man. If I lose you to that reaper, I'm going to find a way into hell just to haunt you."

"This medium's body doesn't have much more time left," Trina heard herself say. Andre gasped shakily and turned to face her. "Son, I've been waiting a long time for this moment. So have Miles and Louie."

"I know." Andre closed his eyes and spread his wings out wide. Louie and Miles threw their arms around him and Ray thrust Trina's hand into Andre's chest. She watched Andre's body jerk back, then lurch forward as Ray carefully removed the soul. "Freedom, god I'm free."

Beck set his hand to Andre's shoulder and struggled to speak. "Ahriman won't have you, buddy." When the compulsion broke, Trina was still standing and still very much conscious.

Andre stood beside Ray and his brothers, laughing as he gazed down at his hands. Trina pulled her hair back, groaning as it clung to the sweat on her neck and shoulders.

Ray turned to her and she returned a polite smile. "Listen Trina, when you're ready to fight that son of a bitch, call on me, and I will personally come back from the other side and help you." She was taken aback by his offer, but pleased to hear it. Having a spirit fighting alongside ghosts was a tremendous boost to their forces.

Ray clenched his fist and extended it, his eyes narrowed and his lips turned into a smirk. "I'll tear him apart for separating my family. You can count on me to be your general." She nodded and watched him turn and pat his eldest son's shoulder. "Finally. All three of my sons…"

Two spirits appeared in the room, bringing forth a large amount of light. Andre's eyes widened and his mouth hung open for a moment. "M-Mom, G-Grandma. You're here." As he ran to them, a flash of light exploded around them. Trina had to shield her eyes, and when she lowered her hand, they were gone.

When she returned to Jason's, she was still exhausted and ready to spend some quality time with him. He was on the couch with a bowl of fruit and watching the game. With a contented sigh, she made her way over to him and snuggled beside him. Trina pulled her legs up to the couch and she wrapped her right arm around his waist. "How's the game, honey?"

"Boring as hell," Jason replied. He looked at her and moved the bowl towards her. "Strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes, oranges, and banana slices. Have some." She thanked him and reached in, grabbing a single strawberry. "How did the release go?"

"It went well. Andre's safe and Ray wants to be summoned from the spirit realm to help fight Ahriman." She tossed the strawberry into her mouth and nuzzled her head into the indent of his neck directly beneath his chin. She looked at the football game on the television and pulled back the corner of her lips. "We could watch something else? What's on?"

"Not much. Ghost Hunters is on though." She chuckled once and smacked his stomach. Now wasn't the time to watch a paranormal show. "I think channel three is showing Sweet Home Alabama. Of course your favorite Princess Bride is showing on channel 9."

She laughed at him and glanced up, astonished that he remembered that even when they hadn't spoken of it in a long time. "You still remember that?"

"My mind's like a steel trap." He grabbed the remote from the end table and pointed it at the television. "What do you want?" She did love Princess Bride, but she hadn't seen the other in a long time.

"Alabama."

He smirked proudly and hit the number pad. "As you wish." She melted on his chest and replied with a gentle and contented sigh.

* * *

><p>Andre's released, though damn Ray and that family had bad timing. I hope you liked the chapter, and maybe even found that moment amusing. Even here at the end, I thought it was a nice end-I'll be honest, I have always thought that just cuddling up on the couch with the one you love is more passionate than sex, so I thought that was a nice way to wrap up the chapter.<p> 


	25. Calm Before the Storm

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 25 (Calm Before the Storm)<p>

"Honey?" Trina awoke to Jason calling from the kitchen. She threw on her pink robe and hugged it tight while making her way to him. He was standing amid a pile of boxes and scratching his head. "I know we moved some of your stuff in last night, but I don't remember all these." She curled her lips up and made her way over to the coffeemaker, which had already been turned on.

"That's because you were half asleep when we made the last trip, and Dad helped bring over some of the extra stuff." The aroma of coffee dazzled her nostrils and ensnared her. Her forearms slid over her stomach and she leaned forward, breathing in the smell. "Folgers."

She watched him step over a box and remove two mugs from the pantry above his counter. Trina grabbed the pot and carefully poured the drink into the cups. "So, I guess we should start unpacking?" Trina returned the pot to its proper place and took one of the mugs, holding it carefully with her hands wrapped around it.

Jason smiled at her and moved the mug to his lips. He was holding his cup with the handle. "Yeah." Trina positioned her mug just beneath her nose and hummed with satisfaction. "Where do you say we start?"

"How about right here?" She leaned back against the counter, standing hip to hip with Jason. Her eyes closed and she carefully sipped the warm liquid. It was strong and bold, just the way she liked her coffee. "Do we have creamer?"

"Yep." He put down his cup and turned around. She looked up as he opened the cabinet above the coffeemaker. There were several containers of creamer, each a different flavor. "Chocolate, caramel, vanilla, hazelnut…" He pulled down the one that said caramel macchiato and bounced his eyebrows. "You like caramel, right?"

"Love it." She extended the mug and thanked him as he poured a bit of the creamer in. She kissed his cheek, then brought the drink to her lips. He returned the creamer and grasped the edge of the counter while peering at the boxes on the floor.

It was a difficult task to move while having to deal with freeing Beck and the others, but she didn't see much of a choice. Beck brought up wanting her to raise their child, and she accepted after talking to Jason and her father about it, so they wanted to get all of the unpacking done now while they had a chance.

"So what's going on with Beck and the others now?" He picked up his mug and brought it level with his chin. His left hand pushed into his pocket and his thumb hung over his leather belt. "Are you planning on releasing Robbie, or doing the group séance?"

"The group thing will have to wait." She wanted to do that now, but it would be best to do it once Ahriman was dead. The problem was planning, there was no telling when the man would strike, but they were well aware he was waiting for Jade to deliver that child. "Apparently the baby's going to be premature, but we don't know when."

"Could he be planning on going after Robbie and Jade at once?" Trina leaned back and frowned as Jason sipped his drink. They hadn't quite considered that outcome, but it was likely. "How do you guys plan on keeping him from going after Jade?"

"I don't know." She lowered the mug to waist level and meshed her eyebrows together. "Beck was talking about bringing the fight to Ahriman then. Ahriman's going to be there, waiting, but Robbie has to be out of the picture first." Jason emitted a soft hum and tilted his head back. "We'll probably lead the ghosts to Ahriman starting in that room, not giving him a chance to take Jade. God knows that hospital is filled with dead."

"Will he anticipate an attack?"

"He might, especially if I'm there with Janan and Melinda."

"So…" He sipped his drink and turned towards her. "Don't be there." Trina raised an eyebrow and crinkled her nose at him. How could she lead an attack and not be at the place they needed to be? "Ahriman is terrified of ghosts, correct?"

"Yes."

"That one guy that crossed over, Ray, wants to help come back to lead that charge. Why not summon the guy and have him pull the hospital ghosts into a concentrated area so Ahriman doesn't feel he's at risk. While that happens, you and the other mediums can rally the city ghosts to be ready outside the hospital if he runs out of there, or at his base if he attempts to transport there. Wherever he ends up, the rest of us close in on him."

She felt her heart skip, then reached up to his face, cupping her hand around his cheek. His eyebrows rose as she kissed him on the lips. "You know how much I love you?" It was the best idea she'd heard all this time, and of course, she didn't think it would be too necessary to group the city ghosts anywhere else. "That's a genius idea, but bear in mind that a spirit can do things ghosts can't. Summoning Ray over to fight, he'll be able to immobilize Ahriman, making it impossible for the reaper to simply transport away-he'll be forced to stay where he is…"

"Even better."

"Yeah!" She snapped her fingers and paced to the right, gesturing with her hand. "While he's trapped by Ray and the hospital ghosts, we can start bringing the city ghosts in. He won't stand a chance." Her eyes flew to his and she bounced on her toes. "The idea is brilliant, Jason!"

Their doorbell rang suddenly and Trina flinched. She glanced to the right and frowned. "Expecting anyone?" She did not want to be in her robe when they had guests. Much less not with the way she looked, her hair was still a mess and she didn't have her morning makeup on. "I'm not even dressed."

"Nah, I'm not expecting anyone." He wasn't much better. Jason had morning stubble and an unbuttoned red shirt hanging over a white tee that was tucked into his long jeans. "Let me see what this is about." She followed him out to the living room and sighed when he opened the door. Mr. Sikowitz was standing outside, looking slightly distressed and nervous. "Uncle Sikowitz?"

"Jason, hi." Sikowitz clapped his hands together and smiled as he studied the boy. "It has been a while." The teacher looked past him and smiled at Trina. "And Miss Vega, you're looking wonderful this morning."

"That's not saying much." She chuckled sorely and stepped beside Jason. "So what brings you here? Are you just dropping by? Come in." Sikowitz nodded and entered slowly. "We weren't expecting visitors."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for the intrusion. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"You didn't," Jason replied. The man walked to the couch and Trina followed him, then sat beside him. Jason draped his arm out behind her on the couch and she leaned forward, setting the mug down on the coffee table. "What's up, Uncle?"

"Well, part of me did just want to see you." Sikowitz fell back on the recliner with a heavy sigh and stretched his arms out on the armrest. "How is Peggy, by the way?" Trina leaned sideways against Jason and looked up at him. Jason smiled back and shrugged.

"Mom's doing fine. She and Dad are thinking of moving back here from Texas. I guess my being here made up their mind, who knows."

"If they do, great." Sikowitz crossed his leg and bent his arm upwards. His forefinger pushed up the skin on his left temple and his brown scarf trembled as his shoulders dropped. The man's eyes drifted to the right and he shook his head slowly. "I've missed seeing my sister. Knowing that we may be allowed to cross over after all is hitting home, but I imagine Peggy has no desire to see her brother?"

"I'm sorry." Jason frowned and shook his head. "You and Mom might have been mediums but she denies it, so she doesn't even acknowledge you're still around. She doesn't want to, it's too much."

"I guess I understand." He lowered his hand and chuckled. "Still, she raised a good son." Jason closed his eyes and his smile grew. Trina moved her left hand across her body and placed it over Jason's, giving his hand a subtle squeeze. She placed her head on his shoulder and looked out at Sikowitz.

"How are you feeling about what's coming?" She asked the teacher. Sikowitz perked his head up and opened his mouth in a circle. The man's forehead creased and he closed his lips before shaking his head. "You're depressed?"

"I'm frightened, to be honest." Sikowitz raised a hand and circled it in the air. "I gave my life protecting those kids, trying to save them, but I find that I could very well have survived had I just stayed in there. Hell, had I stopped Damian from reaching into that pack, those bombs would have never gone off…" The man brushed his hand over his mouth and furrowed his brow. "But then I think to myself, all of us that were lost in the explosions, we have an entire year. It's painful to watch everyone being taken away, so what do I say other than I'm glad that Beck managed to get ahold of you."

"Well he needed help, all of you needed help."

"And desperately." Sikowitz lowered his hand and closed his eyes. "We'd all be lost without that." The man's eyes opened and his fingers swept through his beard. "But I didn't come just to talk about this, there's something else…Being a dead medium, I can't do what you do, but there are certain things that I do have."

"Oh?" She lifted her head and crossed her legs. This was interesting, but she didn't want him doing anything that might cause problems for him or anybody else. It was best that he leave it to Beck and the mediums. "What is it?"

"I can see things. Kind of like premonitions, but not quite. I know when something's going to happen but I don't know what's going to happen." She'd never heard of this, and certainly if a living medium were able to achieve such a feat, Janan and Melinda would have mentioned it.

The teacher heaved forth a heavy sigh and dropped his hand to his knee. "I know when Miss West is going to have her baby." Her heart stopped and her hand flew over her mouth to cover a gasp. If this information were accurate, then they could certainly plan things a step ahead of Ahriman. "I think, I just think that if I can have a chance to save them when I failed them before-"

"What do you mean failed them before?"

"The students that died in my classroom, Miss Vega. I didn't stop Damian in time." Sikowitz's voice broke and he began to tremble. "I couldn't stop the killer, and Damian took a few pauses…a few crucial pauses where I froze up. I might have been able to save Miss West, and I think…I think this vision is my chance to save her this time."

"You couldn't have known," Jason reassured, "No one would know how they'd react in that situation. It's not wrong that you froze up. You didn't fail them then, and you won't now." Sikowitz chuckled dryly and Jason moved his arm from behind Trina to cross it over his chest. "You said you think you saw when Jade's going to have her baby?"

"Yes." The teacher pointed to a calendar on the wall. His bushy eyebrows sank over his eyes and his lip corners embedded into his cheeks. "May 21st. May 21st at dawn." Trina clutched her chest and looked suddenly at Jason.'

"That's just two days from now," Jason muttered, "You're sure about this?"

"Positive." Sikowitz rose and balled his hands up. He looked sternly into Trina's eyes and his nostrils spread open. "Don't let Ahriman take that girl." The man bowed his head and slanted his eyes. "I stood there, watching in horror as Damian approached her from behind. Arms reach, his gun was in arm's reach, and he stopped. He stopped for ten seconds while Beck pleaded for him not to shoot-I could have grabbed the gun. I could have stopped him. I was a coward."

Jason rose with a sigh and walked over to his uncle. "You were no coward." Trina was in awe of him as she watched Jason pat the teacher's shoulder and gaze upon him with compassion. "You were scared, as anyone would be, but you did your best. Your actions, whether you realize it or not, saved lives. Maybe it didn't save Jade or Beck, but you saved lives…What about that girl that you escorted out of the school? Lucy? What happened to her?"

Sikowitz smiled as tears ran down his cheeks. "I heard she became a prosecutor in another state. She's got a successful life, a family, and…well…I suppose she is doing well."

"See?" Sikowitz fell back into the recliner and Jason knelt beside the chair. Jason put his hand on Sikowitz's forearm and continued to maintain eye contact with the man. "You got her out. You saved the lives of other students in your class, and I know from research that you helped usher other students and faculty out those doors before going back in for Mr. Oxford…I don't think _anybody_ can fault you for anything. You were a hero, Uncle-and honestly, an inspiration to me whenever I heard mom talk about you." A glimmer of pride shot through Sikowitz's eyes and the teacher's lips curved into a bright smile.

"I-I'm an inspiration? Really?"

"Yeah." Jason looked over his shoulder and smiled at Trina before glancing back. "You know, Uncle? I used to grow up wanting to be like you, to be a hero to someone or at least to be brave and courageous. What you did took a lot of bravery-to know that you didn't cower, you kept going back in that school without knowing what was going to happen. You didn't know if it was just Damian or if there was anything else, so you calmed people and got them out-you died saving lives-so don't ever fault yourself and say you weren't. You were a hero, you are, and I think anyone that remembers you will remember that part of you."

"Thank you. For your kind words…"

Jason laughed and pat his uncle on the shoulder. "It's going to be okay, Uncle. Just relax, we're on the job. When Beck makes the call, Trina will be ready." Jason turned his eyes on her and she felt a blush rise to her cheeks. Even now, she still didn't want to think of herself as so important. "I have every bit of faith that Trina will be able to help Beck and the others. She's devoted, strong, and won't give up…so don't you give up. That's not allowed."

"I won't."

"Be ready." Jason stood up and smoothed his hair back with his hand. "May 21st? We'll be ready."

"Do you think you can bring down a reaper? Do you think you can save those lost souls and all of the cursed?"

Trina pushed herself up and walked behind Jason. She wrapped her arms around his waist and clasped her hands together on his stomach, then set her chin to his right shoulder. Sikowitz looked up and met her eyes with concern.

"Beck wouldn't have asked me to help if he didn't think I could do it," Trina replied quietly. She didn't have time to be unsure of herself anymore. She still doubted herself, but she had confidence that they could win this. "Janan, Melinda, Jason and I will all be there, and each of us will be commanding a slew of ghosts-and I'll even have a spirit that has crossed over to lead the charge. Do I think we can win?" She nodded and flashed a confident smile at the teacher.

"I know we can."

* * *

><p>So we have a time and date. I hope you appreciated the light moment at the start, I'm really trying to practice making my couples really you know, look and act like couples.<p> 


	26. Stare Death in the Face

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 26 (Stare Death in the Face)<p>

Beck awoke to the sound of Jade groaning and turned onto his side, looking at his wife with concern. There was a dim glow from the moon outside, giving her a bluish tint. She was holding her stomach and sweat was pouring down her face. "Jade? What's wrong?" Jade groaned again and his eyes drifted towards the digital clock on the end table.

It was the 21st, and approaching the morning hour. Thinking fast he sat up and let out a shout as Jade's eyes snapped onto him. "Shit, it's really happening now?" Jade screamed in anguish and Beck leapt from the bed, rushing around the room while trying to figure out what to grab.

He grabbed his phone and sent a quick text to Trina, letting her know the time was starting. Next, he called the doctor and aided Jade in getting up from the bed. "She wants to come out now," Jade screamed, "We're not going to make it to the hospital!"

"We will, Jade, I promise we will."

"We aren't going to make it!" Jade's knees buckled and she bent forward, screaming violently. Beck didn't know it could be this painful, but then, he'd been told before that labor was more painful for a cursed than a living. "Help me Beck…" He took her hand in his and carefully guided her from the house. "I didn't know Mr. Sikowitz would be right about the time. Oh god it hurts."

"It's okay, it's going to be okay." He was glad they got Robbie out, now that this was happening now. Because if Robbie had still been here, Ahriman would likely be tending to him. Trina had to channel Robbie's mother to come and release him just yesterday. _"This better work, they'd all better be prepared."_

Part of him was afraid they were going to lose this match and Ahriman would tear them all apart. Faith was hard to come by when one has suffered for two decades. "Hang in there, Jade." He guided her into the passenger seat of the car, then got into the driver's side. "Just hang in there." The more his wife cried out, the higher his stress level rose, and at this point, he thought lava might spew from him any minute.

Beck wasted no time speeding down the street and passing every car that he could. By some miracle, there weren't any police cars. It was early enough in the morning that few cars were on the road, but he could have done without Jade shouting at him to drive carefully while also exclaiming that she needed him to hurry up and get to the hospital.

Once there they were met by a nurse who carted Jade into a wheelchair. Beck ran with them to the delivery room and felt his heart trying to push from within his chest.

He was surprised when he met up with Trina halfway to the delivery room. "There's been a slight change of plan," she explained calmly, "Ahriman might have caught on to the act. A ghost thought he heard Ahriman talking to someone or something about taking Jade the minute the baby popped out." Beck's eyes widened and Jade snapped her gaze up.

"What does that mean?" Jade screamed. "What's going on?" When Beck looked ahead, he could see Henry's ghost standing next to the delivery room, gazing protectively at his daughter. Beck's heart sank and he pressed his lips together, nodding when he understood what this meant.

"So you're going to release her the second the baby's out…Who was the ghost that found out Ahriman's plan?"

"It was Henry. I had him check on Ahriman, and he was talking to some other reaper, I think."

Jade shook her head and cried out in terror and anguish. "No, I don't want that. Beck, I need to stay with you." They moved Jade onto the examination table and the doctor looked up to Trina, but said nothing when it was confirmed she would stay in there at the request of the couple. "B-Beck?"

Beck placed a hand on hers and looked into her tear-filled eyes. She was huffing loudly and whimpering. He furrowed his brow and slowly groomed back the bangs that clung to the sweat on her brow. "I know you don't want to leave now, Jade, but I have to…I can't let Ahriman take you." She choked out a sob and shook her head.

"I'm scared."

"I know baby." He kissed her on the top of her head and closed his eyes. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, and I promise…I will be with you soon." Jade turned her head and arched her body up with a painful scream. "Jade. I love you." Jade fell back on the table and looked at him.

"I love you, Beck." Her tears stained her face and dripped into her lips as she extended a hand. "Please don't leave me. Please." He took her hand and sat down beside her.

"I won't."

"You'll take care of her, won't you? Our baby?" Beck smiled at her and nodded slowly. "I mean, I know it's not for long, but…when Trina and everybody does everything…stay with her, stay with our little one."

"I will."

"I'm going to need you both to focus," Dr. Williamson stated, "This will be a difficult process." The man went to work and Jade took a deep breath. It was then that Beck noticed for the first time a strange glow around the man's hands. He furrowed his brow and pointed to the hands.

"Um, Doctor?" The man raised his hands and smirked. This doctor was a supernatural being. His heart stalled and his jaw dropped. "What the hell?"

"I know exactly what you two are," Dr. Williamson said under his breath. "I am the reason that your child will survive birth. Not a medium, but similar…now relax…because I know what this woman is here to do as well."

"Then thank you." He had to wonder if this doctor was actually a human that made a deal with someone to be granted healing properties, but it didn't matter. All that Beck cared about was getting Jade to cross over safely, and making sure their baby was safe.

When the time came, Trina stepped up beside Jade. Beck watched with a heavy heart as Jade maintained eye contact with him. She was breathing heavily and whimpering as Dr. Williamson cradled the head of their baby in his hands.

Beck saw his child for the first time and was filled with wonder, but grief as well. "She's so beautiful," he exhaled slowly and stumbled over his words as fresh tears moved from his eyes.

Jade glanced down and laughed happily when she saw her child. As she focused on the child, squealing with joy, Beck looked up slowly to see Henry entering Trina.

Beck closed his eyes and closed his hand around Jade's. He leaned over her and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you, baby." Jade gasped softly as Trina approached her. "I'll see you soon, Jade. I promise you."

In the corner of his eyes he saw Ahriman appear. The reaper sneered violently as Trina reached into Jade. The doctor removed the baby and turned his head onto Ahriman. "I delivered your sister's child," Dr. Williamson whispered to Beck's surprise. "I watched painstakingly as that reaper took your sister's soul. You've done a good thing here…"

"I know." Trina's hand pulled from Jade and his body was struck numb as he watched his wife's corpse turn into ash. "Oh god." When he looked up, he saw Jade's ghost standing beside her father. "J-Jade."

Jade smiled at him with her eyes so full of love and compassion. She looked at the child and uttered his sister's name. Beck felt his heart leap and swell with pride. He turned his gaze onto his daughter and nodded. "Lisa. Yes. That's a perfect name for our baby girl."

He rose to his feet and wiped away the tears on his cheek. Jade reached up, cupping her hand around his face and gazing into his eyes. "Don't forget, you promised Beck. I'll be waiting for you on the other side."

When she vanished away, he turned to Ahriman and crossed his arms. "What are you going to do now?" Ahriman growled and unclenched his fists while still flexing his fingers. "Didn't count on us being a step ahead of you this time?"

"You just made a big mistake," Ahriman remarked, "I may have said I'd take you last-but you are still the final shooting victim." He tensed as Ahriman approached him. "Did you think I couldn't use loopholes too?" Ahriman grabbed him by the throat and pulled him close, sneering in his face. "I'll tear you limb from limb. I will destroy you before I claim your soul."

Trina began to approach, but Ahriman threw his hand out towards her and she froze in place, unable to move. "One medium, one cursed, and a doctor with the ability to keep a premature child of two dead people from dying…I can have quite a bit of fun with this."

Beck winced as Ahriman's claws dug into his throat. He began to shed his physical body, leaving Beck forced to watch in horror as the reaper's true form appeared. Trina's eyes grew and Beck started to scream.

Ahriman's thick black hair fell to the floor and his limbs stretched, then bent. His eyes were two black circles with a tiny red dot in the center, and his mouth hung open to reveal an endless amount of razor sharp teeth

"I'm going to chew you up and spit you out." Ahriman threw his head back and laughed viciously. "Did you realize that you were breaching the contract?" Suddenly he was airborne, flying into the cement wall. The pain shot through his body and he felt his left arm tearing from his shoulder. He through his hand up and screamed as the reaper approached him like a giant spider rushing after him. "You broke the contract, that means I can do as I please to you."

"No!" Beck screamed as Ahriman's shadow fell over him. Venomous saliva dribbled down the reaper's jaw and onto the ground. "Trina, do something!"

"I can't move," Trina screamed, "I'll try the chant. I need to summon Ray and call the other ghosts."

"Hurry, please?"

Beck rolled onto his side and slammed his palm down on the ground with a frantic cry as Ahriman lowered himself onto his legs. "I made a promise. I need to see it through. I can't go yet, I have to save everyone. Mr. Sikowitz, Mr. Oxford, my classmates, Damian."

"You're pathetic. You can't save anyone!" He felt a searing pain in his lower back and flailed his arms out as his skin began to tear. "Why do you assume you can make a deal with a reaper and then back out on it? You should have known what you were getting into."

"Please! Just let them go." He flipped onto his back and kicked forward, but his foot only sailed through Ahriman's face. His jaw fell open as the reaper mocked him. "Shit. No, no no…" He began to back up against the wall, panting heavily as the reaper stood tall.

"Are you ready to see the fire?"

"No. I'm not done yet."

"That isn't your call. It was never your call. You fucked yourself and your friends when you made a deal with me."

"No. I didn't know better then."

"Too damn bad."

Beck turned his head as Ahriman reached for him. He clenched his eyes, took a deep breath, and let out a final loud cry.

An explosion drowned him out and his eyes shot open in time to see a flash of red before him. He turned to look and a cold sweat overtook him when he saw the back of a woman with long brown hair and a police uniform.. She had her arms stretched out to the sides and her legs were spread apart.

Ahriman sneered and took several steps back, growling at the woman. "Lisa?" Beck whimpered as his sister's ghost turned her head to him. When he looked into her strong, protective eyes, he felt a wave of relief rush over him.

Next to Trina, another figure took shape and Ahriman began to shake. This figure was tall, dark-skinned, and nimble looking. There was a spiritual aura around him. Light spewed from his eyes and his wide grin framed by a goatee. "Finally," the spirit declared, "It's time for some jazz." The spirit waved his fingers in front of him and beams of lights zapped out and swirled around Ahriman. "You won't be transporting out of here anytime soon." The man tilted his head and his grin grew wider. "If you weren't panicking before, reaper baby…"

"Panic now," Lisa added with a slow, silent and ominous tone. "My brother will not fall to the fire."

* * *

><p>Ray and Lisa are here. Jade's been saved, though it sent Ahriman off the deep end, but now the fight persists. Close call for Beck, he'll probably have his sister watch over him as Trina and the spirit general there go chase after the old reaper.<p> 


	27. Battle for the Lost

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 27 (Battle for the Lost)<p>

"Let's rock," Ray laughed. Ahriman bolted for the door and Trina snapped her head to the right. Ray lifted into the air and began hovering after him. "Where you goin' buddy? I'm not through with you yet." Trina exhaled and looked at Beck. He was moving to his feet and holding his shoulder.

"Go on," Beck huffed, "I'll be fine." He shut his eyes and grit his teeth. "Get that bastard and save my friends! Don't let him get away!"

"I won't." Trina ran after Ahriman and Ray, remembering the chant she needed to fuel the strength of the ghosts that followed. She met Jason halfway through the hospital, he was concerned for her and said he saw two strange outlines fly by but wasn't sure what they were. "That would be Ahriman and Ray. Ahriman shed his physical skin." She grabbed his hand and looked over her shoulder. "Stay with me, Jason. I need you."

"I'm here." She smiled at him and hurried outside. As her heartbeat flared up, she struggled over the chant needed to command the ghosts . Fortunately, it was working and the ghosts were leaving the hospital behind her. To her surprise, Lisa was not among them. More than likely the ghost stayed behind to watch over Beck.

She needed him to stay behind anyway, for his own safety. "So what the hell happened in there?" Jason asked. She led him around the corner, sensing where Ray had gone. Her eyebrows fell together and her chest heaved with every heavy breath while her eyes darted from left to right.

"Ahriman went shit crazy on Beck. Lisa showed up and protected him, and Ray just chased him out of the hospital." They ran ahead until they came to a clearing where Ahriman was cornered by Ray. In front of Ahriman was Janan, approaching with a wave of ghosts behind her. To the left was Melinda, doing the same. "Jason, cover his right side. Take a few ghosts, we don't want him escaping."

"I'm on it." Trina watched him run around to the right of Ahriman, waving at a few ghosts to follow. She admired how well he commanded them and tried to work with them despite being unable to fully see them. Now they just had to remember the chant.

Ahriman gnashed his teeth at the ghosts that approached him behind the mediums, slowly being circled in. He threw his head back and glared into the air where Ray was hovering above him. "Hey, hey, A-man." Ray brought his hands together above his head, then pulled them apart and moved them in an arc to his sides, leaving a trail of light behind them. "This one's for my boys."

The light shot out and the reaper put his arm in front of his face to shield himself. Trina watched in awe as the flesh on his arm melted away and began to smolder. "Good, they're going to kill him." She looked from Melinda to Janan, then to Jason. "We need to start the chant! We have to release the lost ones!" If the ghosts and Ray killed Ahriman first, then the lost ones would remain in the fire. "Let's try to go back as far as we can."

"Ready when you are," Jason called out.

Janan chuckled and bound her wrists with her rosary. "I've still got some power left in this old body of mine."

"Let's do this already," Melinda replied quickly, "I need to get back to my city and my husband." Trina laughed and found herself looking at Jason. She shook her head and closed her eyes. She lowered her head and began to utter the chant, the other three did the same.

Ahriman howled as Ray shot another blast of spiritual light his way. Another ghost ran up to him and Ahriman quickly thrust his hand through the ghost, dispersing it. "Get away from me," Ahriman screeched. Thick black fumes rose from his body, darkening the once blue sky above him. "I'll force you all to hell! Every one of you earthbound cretins! Into the fire!"

"You're not so fearsome now," Ray laughed, "Not when you're backed up against a wall." Ray popped up behind him and wrapped his arms around the reaper, placing his hands firmly against the reaper's chest. Ahriman's eyes widened as a rush of blue light overtook him. "Here's the reason you're so terrified of us, because you can't fight us-especially not one who has already crossed into the spirit realm."

"Damn you! I curse you!"

"You can't curse anyone." The ground trembled with a mighty explosion. Ahriman threw his head back and yelled at the sky, his howl echoed off the buildings and a strange light began to appear from within him. "At least, you can't curse me."

Ray turned to the ghosts flocking around the mediums. "Ghosts and ghouls alike, let's have fun! The ghost that grabs the heart of the reaper will be the first one I take with me when I return to the other side." Ahriman gasped out and cursed violently as the ghosts surrounded him and howled.

Their many hands gripped him and his flesh started to tear. His head began shaking and flying in every direction. Ray moved his hands up, holding them to the sides of the head as though holding a jar over him.

"Careful there reaper baby, you don't want to get too frustrated or you'll explode." Ahriman spun around and his head moved slowly into place. He gripped Ray's shirt and his lips stretched out into a wide and virulent scowl.

"Why? Why do this?" Ray shrugged and then shoved Ahriman back.

"Because the job of a reaper is to help a soul cross to the other side." Ray flew around Ahriman in a circle and rose into the air as a circle of ghosts surrounded him. "A reaper should never accept any deal from the dead, much less make deals with the dead-a reaper must not curse the dead nor is the reaper allowed to claim a soul for their own gain."

"You know nothing. Nothing!"

Ray frowned at him and all the ghosts looked up at him, waiting for the next command. "I know my entire family died because you cursed my son. I know my sons and I waited for twenty years. I know many families have broken apart, lost loved ones, never rested in peace because you cursed them."

He extended his arm, pointing his palm at Ahriman. His eyes narrowed and he shouted for the ghosts to begin tearing the reaper apart. Ahriman began to scream as the ghosts grabbed his legs, arms, body, head, and began to pull.

A ball of light formed and grew in front of Ray's palm. His nose scrunched and his mouth stretched into a scowl. "May the fire show you mercy where you showed none, Reaper." The light shot out at his command and Ahriman let out one last bloodcurdling scream as it overtook him.

Trina opened her eyes, feeling a sudden shift in the energy around her. When she saw a familiar young girl standing in front of her, she gasped and gripped her chest. "Christy?" Christy smiled at her and giggled happily.

Tears welled up in her eyes and her knees started to buckle. "I'm free," Christy chimed, "I'm free."

Inside the hospital, Beck was overcome with a strange warmth. He looked up at his sister and furrowed his brow as she appeared to fade from view. "Lisa? Where are you going? What-what's happening?" He saw her reappear on the other side of the room, and in front of her, fourteen red-tinted ghosts appeared.

Beck's muscles tensed and his trembling hand hovered over his mouth as the ghostly sight drew tears to his eyes. Directly before him was Brittney, her arms were crossed and a pleasant smile appeared on her face.

Next to Brittney was Jade's best friend Monica, the first person killed by Damian. Monica's eyes were wide and her chest was moving in and out as though she'd just awakened from a nightmare. On the other side of Brittney was Annabel Grant, Damian's second victim.

He dropped to his knees and fell forward, dropping his hands to the ground and weeping before them. The relief and grief was too much, and his attempts to speak only came out in huffs. He almost didn't believe the mediums could do this, and seeing all of these people was just too much.

Beside him, Lunch-lady Martha Dixon met her son with a tearful hug. The other victims laughed happily while some cheered only in silence.

"Beck…" He turned his head up to see Brittney bending forward, her hand was outstretched and her forgiving eyes shamed him. "Rise. Please." He bent one knee up and put his hands to his knee, using it to push his body upright. "Look at me."

"I can't," he choked out, "I-I didn't think…for a brief second I doubted it would be possible." He nearly collapsed once more, but managed to force himself to remain standing.

Brittney's hand touched to his cheek and turned his head to her. He furrowed his brow and closed his hands tight while looking into her eyes. "Why do you look at me like that? I cursed you, all of you. I failed you, I let you be thrown into the fire."

"You saved us from the fire. We can cross into the light now." He gasped out as the red tint on their bodies faded away. "Ahriman is dead now. You still have his chains on your body…"

"Those of us still here are still bound. The medium needs to call a séance and key spirits forth to free us. Now it doesn't require possession, because his death deadens the chains enough."

"I see." Brittney looked at Lisa and stretched her arm out, pointing to her. "Your sister stands ready to take you to the other side Beck. Please don't blame yourself anymore, we're ready and all of us will be waiting for you." Beck straightened his back as Lisa started to approach.

"I'm not ready." Lisa frowned and Brittney hummed. It wasn't that he didn't want to cross over, but he felt his job wasn't finished. "I cannot cross, I will not cross until every person left is safe."

"But they are safe now, still bound, but Ahriman isn't a threat."

"That doesn't matter." He crossed his arms and then lifted his right hand to sweep across his nose. "I'm responsible. I put them here, I cursed everyone-I have to see them freed first." He looked back at her and his shoulders fell partially. "You all aren't angry with me? You don't blame me, even after-"

"You rescued us. We're thankful, all of us." He wasn't sure if he deserved to be thanked, or even if he deserved credit for the job, but he was happy about this turnout.

"Will you cross?"

Brittney looked back at the others and they started murmuring, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. When she looked back, her eyes closed and she shook her head at him. "We admire your goal, and we want to see you see that through. We will cross, but all of us together."

"Great." He looked past them and smiled at his baby, still being held by the doctor. "My child, how is she?" Dr. Williamson looked at the baby with a smile.

"She is okay. She will have difficulties growing up, medically speaking, but I think she will be fine. If you wish to, come and hold her." He hesitated, terrified that doing so might break the tiny baby, but he did carefully take her into his arms and hold her close to his chest.

It was upsetting that Jade wasn't able to be there to hold the baby herself, but it had been for the best. If they hadn't done what they did, Ahriman would have appeared and Jade would have been lost.

"Your mother would love you," he whispered. His heart swelled as the child wrapped her tiny fingers over his arm. Hearing footsteps, he turned around to see Jason. Expecting to see Trina, he furrowed his brow and took a step forward. "Where's Trina? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Jason replied, "She wanted me to check on you. We have to head back to the house, she's a bit overwhelmed." He was relieved to hear the girl was okay, although it was still alarming to hear even now she'd been overwhelmed.

"The fight took a lot out of her?"

"Well, between Ahriman paralyzing every bone in her body and her summoning up a fairly powerful spirit from the other side…yeah, she's going to be out of it for a day or two, but she will be fine."

"Good. I want her, and you, to know I appreciate everything that's been done." Jason smiled at him and shrugged.

"It isn't over just yet. She's going to do that séance once she recovers." Jason looked and motioned to the baby, and Beck followed the gesture. "How is the baby?"

"Doing well." Beck knew the child was going to need to be observed for a while by the hospital, but he hoped it wouldn't be too long. "She'll probably be put under observation because she's got a few medical issues, but you guys should be able to take her home."

"Right," Dr. Williamson confirmed, "All in all get some rest."

Things were better now, and Beck was more than happy to see Ahriman brought to an end. The next few days were going to be difficult as hell, however, waiting for her to recover. It was going to be a lonely time without Jade or the others, but at least he would see them again. It was only a matter of time now.

"Yeah, rest up. I'll tell the others what happened here." He looked one last time at Brittney and the thirteen people standing with her, taking in their presence with pride. "They're going to be thrilled when we all can go home. Together."

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><p>They did it, all of the lost are saved-including Christy. Ahriman has fallen. I hope you enjoyed the bout. Trina's out for a little while, but that's fine, because Beck can breathe a sigh of relief and let the other bound souls know that the day of reckoning is here.<p> 


	28. Hardest Goodbyes

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 28 (Hardest Goodbyes)<p>

"How are you holding up?" Beck took the beer offered by his father and a lifted the tip to his lips. His gaze fell onto the empty chair beside the couch and the loneliness began to eat away at him. "You miss that woman, don't you?"

"I know I'm going to see her again, but it is hell without her." He moved back into the cushion of the couch and closed his eyes. "I didn't want to let her go, but I had to."

Kyle sat down and bent forward. He held the tip of his beer bottle between his knees and exhaled. "Sometimes letting go of someone we care about is the only way to save them." Beck dropped his head on the back of the couch and looked up towards the ceiling. He already knew what his father was saying, he had to live those words when he went on to help his friends move ahead. "Have you told the other cursed ones yet?"

"No. I haven't." He set the base of his bottle on his knee and looked at the door. His face grew long and his eyebrows fell over his tense gaze. "I will tomorrow. I know they'll be happy." The only reason he didn't tell anybody today was because he needed some rest himself. The wounds he received from Ahriman were still open and painful. "It takes forever to heal. He almost tore me apart back there…"

"At least he didn't. Does it hurt?" He looked to the open tear on his shoulder and moved his fingers over the tear. It stung at the touch, but only slightly.

"Not much. I imagine it could be worse." He rubbed his shoulder, wincing as shocks of pain coursed through his arm. "What about you, dad? It's not going to be much longer." Kyle waved his hand through the air and shrugged.

"I already lost both of my children years ago, Beck." He bowed his head and rolled his eyes. He glanced over to see Kyle smiling at him with a surprising glimmer of pride. "But it was nice to have my son back for a time. I'm glad you'll be able to move on, though. Besides, I get a granddaughter now-two of them." Beck laughed.

"That's true. It's too bad you couldn't get in touch with mom and Linda."

"It's no great loss." He leaned forward and folded his arms over his legs. It was a surprise to hear such a casual tone in the man's voice, but judging from the things they talked about, he wasn't too surprised to hear that neither woman wanted anything to do with the man. "They have changed a lot since you and Lisa passed."

"Well, the good thing is you got to have some time with your son."

A smile flashed on the old man's face. "That does make it worthwhile." Kyle brushed his fingers through his dark silver hair and took a sharp breath. "Lisa hasn't gone across yet?"

"No." Amazingly, Lisa seemed to be waiting as Ray had done for Andre. It was good to know his sister was looking out for him even in the afterlife. "Even though she didn't fight him, I think Lisa was happy to have a part in taking down Ahriman."

"I agree with that. Lisa always cared about you, so I'm honestly not surprised that she would be waiting around for you." Kyle fell silent and Beck took a long, but slow drink of his beer. His brow furrowed and he looked to his father, studying the man closely for several minutes.

He was very still, and when he took a drink, he moved only his arm. Beck hoped that maybe Trina and his child would be able to bring some joy into the aged and sorrowful eyes that his father had. "Dad? Will you be alright?" Kyle smiled slightly and nodded one time. "Will you be there when we cross?"

"No." The answer came so quickly that Beck had to look twice to see the smile fade from Kyle's face. "Our goodbye stays here, Beck. I don't need to see you vanish to know that you're going away." The man set his beer down on the coffee table and brought his hand up over his mouth. "It would be too much for me to be there."

"So. We say goodbye here, then?"

Kyle reached over, his mighty hand fell onto Beck's knee and his eyes made contact with his. "You know I've always been proud of you when you were growing up. I would tell your mother…" Kyle pulled away and lifted a finger. "This boy's going to make something of himself one day." Beck dropped his head with a chuckle and shrugged.

"I guess that didn't come to pass." Kyle raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head.

"I disagree with you. You're a leader, and a hero-so what if you died in that shooting? All these years, cursed, you managed to rally support that saved not only those who would have been taken by that creature, but…your supporters were able to rescue the ones that were already lost." His heart rose from the muck and he felt a sudden rush of confidence and joy. "You kept your wife from the fire, you gave your daughter to people that you knew would take care of her."

"True."

"It's time for you to go, and hanging around wondering if I'm going to be okay isn't what you need to be doing." Kyle folded his arms and pressed his lips together. "If I were there when your medium calls for you to cross, you know what you would do? You'd hesitate just to make sure your old man is fine-and that is why I won't be there."

Beck laughed sorely and shut his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, Kyle was right. He didn't have time to stop and think, not when the time came to go. "So we'll say goodbye now, then. Dad." His voice trembled and he watched a single tear leave his father's eye. "You'll be okay, though."

"I will miss you, son. Know that, when you go over, know that your father will always think about you."

"Just look after the family that's here for you."

"That I will do." He'd look after his dad once he crossed over, there was no question about it. Still, the hardest thing to do was to say goodbye. "We'll see each other again someday son, and at least I know that when my time comes…I'll see my children again. I love you, son."

"You too dad. You too."

Beck met up with Damian outside the school, both sat on the edges of a steel bench across the street. "So what happens?" Damian asked quietly. "When we cross over, what happens? What's waiting for us?"

"I don't know." His elbow hung over the chair and he twisted partially to look at his friend. "Those who have crossed don't usually come back here, and when they do, they don't tell us what to expect."

"So we're not meant to know." Damian looked up to the sky and scoffed. "Figures." He looked towards the school and his chest swelled out as air drifted in through the small part in his lips.

"You'll be fine Damian. You've felt remorse, you've lived through hell, I'm certain you're not going to Hell after all this."

"I used to question." Damian scratched his nose and looked away to the right. "When we were alive. I wondered if there was an afterlife, if Heaven or Hell really existed. I questioned God all these years later, but I got to thinking-thinking about reapers like Ahriman-if there's a Devil, there must be a God."

"Who knows. Maybe there is, I certainly believe in the Devil after all this time." Beck laughed once and focused on the students walking around the campus grounds. "Almost graduation day, Damian. 35 students never made it to the stage in '91."

"Wasn't Sikowitz supposed to speak?"

"I don't know." This was going to hit the school hard, but most of those cursed were already making plans to ease suspicion by letting people know they were leaving; whether that entailed transferring jobs or moving away. "I still can't believe Rhonda and Sikowitz continued to teach after all these years-and nobody questioned the fact that they didn't age."

Damian smirked at him and closed his eyes. "I know right? Now they're 'retiring', Rhonda's thirty-eight and Sikowitz is thirty-five." Maybe students thought they were older or had enough money to retire. Whatever the case may be, plenty of current students were going on and on about how much they'd be missed. "Students here don't have a clue…"

Beck squinted his eyes and scratched at the back of his head. "It's kind of sad, to be honest." Mr. Oxford was the only one that could retire and not be potentially questioned, since the man was in his late sixties. "I know Mr. Oxford's relieved. He was planning on retiring in '91, anyway." Damian frowned and dropped his head for the moment.

"That, and nobody really thinks much about an Assistant Principal that stays in his office all the time."

"He's had to try and remain inconspicuous somehow." The only other teacher was Mr. Nixon, a forty-five year old gym instructor that died in the office. He actually stopped teaching when the massacre happened and joined the three deceased janitors on the staff. "All the janitors managed to remain hidden, so they'll be able to cross over now without anyone noticing."

"Damian?" Beck's head jolted up at the girl walking towards them from the right. It was Denise. He watched Damian's shoulders and head fall, then the man gripped the bottom edge of the bench firmly.

Denise stopped in front of them. Her hands rested before her waist, with her right hand over her left and her fingers tangled together.

He gave his friend a smile then pat him on the shoulder. "Talk, Damian, it isn't like we've got forever and a day to do it now." Damian rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"What is it, Denise?" Damian looked up at the girl and leaned back on the bench. "Beck told me you wanted me to ask you to that Spring Formal back then. I'm sorry I didn't get the chance." Denise shook her head and shrugged.

"It's okay. I just wanted to say that I get it. You snapped, everyone snaps-"

"Doesn't excuse what I did."

"No, I know that. I'm just saying…" Denise unclasped her hands and motioned to Beck. "If what he's saying, that we're all able to cross over, well that's good and I don't think you should keep holding this against yourself anymore." Denise closed her eyes and her voice started to shake. "I was one of the ones in our group that snapped. I did some things I'm not proud of."

Damian frowned and waved his hand in the air. "Put it behind you then. You didn't deserve to die, no one did. It's understandable that you lost control." Of the cursed, about eight of them lost their heads and wound up using their curse as an excuse to commit various crimes and heinous acts.

"If I let go of my crime, will you let go of yours?" His head jumped back and Denise raised her eyebrows at him.

Seeing that he wasn't needed here anymore, Beck rose from the bench and waved as Damian turned his head to him. "Where are you headed?"

"I've got someone I need to talk to before everything ends."

"Okay man, I guess I'll see you around."

Beck pointed and grinned. As he walked off he thought about saying something more to the man, but when he turned around he saw Damian and Denise dancing together. "Well, I'll be damned." He pushed his left hand into his pocket and scratched his chin with his right. His lips turned up and he was tempted to applaud for his friend. "Yeah, he'll be fine…Goodbye old friend."

Tori was found at the table everyone used to sit. She was now the only one there, and was hunched forward over a tray of food. Her head was perched on her right hand and her eyes were downcast on the mashed potatoes she was stirring absently with her spoon.

Beck reached out and placed a hand to her back. "Hey? How are you holding up?" Tori looked up at him and slowly shook her head. He took the seat beside her and sat facing her. "I know it's hard, and it feels like you were deceived. I'm sorry for that."

"There's not much you could have done about it. I wouldn't have believed you guys anyway if you told me from the beginning." Tori straightened her shoulders and released her spoon, letting it stand in the potatoes. "You don't need to apologize to me. I know you and a bunch of others like you are keeping a low profile, but there are still some people who suspect."

"There are people who also know the truth, but none of that matters now." He bent his elbow on the edge of the table and looked towards the wind as it blew through his hair and against his face, cooling him. "I just don't want to leave with you thinking that none of us cared about you. All of us did, we all valued the friendship that we had."

Tori smiled at him and wiped away some tears that were escaping her eyes. "It isn't fair, but I know I'm letting go of you guys. It's the most difficult thing-" Her voice broke and she turned away, growling in frustration. She bowed her head and clenched her fists. "I don't want to say goodbye."

Beck rolled his head to the left and reached out, setting a hand to her shoulder. "Then I'll say it." She looked over and her eyebrows curled together. "On behalf of all of us, we'll always be with you in heart and memory. You helped us on some level to feel like we were alive again, you helped us to be happy in these final years, and I guarantee you us leaving the world is not easy on us either."

Tori's nose wiggled and a stress line appeared on her forehead. "I'm glad at least that you guys are safe." She folded her hands on the table and looked up towards the sky. "I think-I think I'll return to Sherwood."

"You won't stay on at Hollywood Arts?"

"Don't get me wrong, I love this place." Beck nodded once and folded his arm over his lap. He furrowed his brow as Tori flashed a smile his way. "I do still have friends over there, and I think Ian wants me back."

"Ian?" His eyebrow rose and he smirked teasingly at her. "Mr. Science Guy?" Tori blushed and moved her hand up over the cheek facing him. "Yeah, how did that tree project go?"

"I um, I don't know." She rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled nervously. "It's been a year or two and I left halfway through that thing. Ian was angry about it for a while and wouldn't talk to me for the longest time."

"Ouch."

"He called me up a few weeks ago, said he was sorry for all the things that were said in the fight we had after I left." He didn't remember a lot about the fight, but it didn't seem important enough to ask her about. "Well, I got to talking with him a couple days ago, he said he missed me and I thought maybe I should start back at Sherwood after the summer."

It would be the best thing for her. He didn't see her doing much around here with all her friends, and her favorite teacher, gone. "You should." She pursed her lips, then reached up to pull her hair back over her shoulders. "If you have friends over there, and you think you'd be better there, then you should go back. All you're going to do here is be depressed and mope around, wondering where everyone is. You won't have fun, but I _bet_ you'll have fun going back to Sherwood and spending some quality time with that guy you're blushing about."

Her blush increased and she started to laugh. He was proud and confident enough to feel she'd be just fine. It would take some time, but this would heal and she would be able to move on with her life like everybody else would.

"Thanks Beck." Tori squinted her eyes and grabbed the spoon from her potatoes. "Is it okay that I'm not there when Trina does her séance thing? I really don't want to see that."

"That's fine."

"We'll say goodbye here, then."

"Until we meet again." She reached over and wrapped her arms around him in a tearful, friendly hug. He rubbed her back and closed his eyes, feeling his own tears rushing down.

"Thank you for being my friend, Beck." He pulled back and smiled at her. "You, Jade, Andre and everyone…I don't know what I would have done at this school without you guys. Dead or not, I'm glad to know you." He chuckled and swept his hand through his hair. "I'll never forget you guys."

"Same. Farewell, Tori." He stood up and dropped his hand to her shoulder. "You'll be just fine." He saw Jason in the distance and after making sure Tori didn't have anything else to say, he approached the man. "Jason. How is Trina?"

Jason unfolded his arms and smiled slightly. "She's good." It was a relief to hear, because Trina had been dangerously exhausted after the bout with Ahriman. "Trina says she's ready to do this on the 26th." He hesitated, thinking back to his conversation with Damian.

"Graduation day." He looked over his shoulder and studied the large building for the last time. He released one heavy breath as a whirlwind of memories surrounded him. "How appropriate."

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><p>Some crucial fond farewells here, I'd say these people will be okay though, don't you? Hope you liked this chapter-there are only two remaining.<p> 


	29. Unbound

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 29 (Unbound)<p>

"Now you're going to be there, right?" Beck was discussing with David the future of his child. Trina and Jason were still unpacking, but they did manage to change the guest room into a nursery for the baby. "None of this fickle-minded + down the sidewalk and was scratching at his neck. "Of course I'll be there. It's my niece, being raised by my daughter. Trina's going to need some help." David lowered his hand with a laugh. "I'll even check up on Kyle often. That old man needs family, and he's a part of the family." Beck approved with a thumbs-up motion. "I've actually been trying to find Linda and Rebecca, by the way."

"Any luck?" He wasn't holding out hope that his sister or his mother would be found, or if they even wanted to be. Kyle would be fine without them, he knew his father well enough. "Dad's a stubborn man, so I believe him when he says he doesn't need them anymore. He misses them, but they don't want to give him the time of day anymore for staying with his son, so he doesn't want to give them any either."

The office nodded and frowned at him. "Actually, I did find something though, and I brought it up with Kyle." They stopped halfway to the door of Jason's house. Beck's face tensed and he turned around, eager to hear what the man found. "It looks like they moved out of the country in the early '90s. Rebecca is in a nursing home in Montreal."

"Canada?"

"Yes. Meanwhile, Linda married some guy and moved to Delaware. She's getting involved in politics now." Beck folded his arms and hummed thoughtfully. He couldn't help but to wonder if Linda made that move on her own, or if the man she married made the move. It was stunning to hear how far apart mother and daughter were.

"Did you talk to her? Ask why those two are in separate places?"

"No." David curled his knuckles over his chin and squinted his eyes. "I spoke with her husband, though. He said that Rebecca went insane a long time ago and they were forced to put her in a nursing home."

"Any reason they left Canada?"

"Apparently Linda didn't want to be there. Rebecca didn't want to leave. There were fights, things got physical, and now we've got a mother in a nursing home and a daughter in another country."

"Astonishing." He sighed heavily and shook his head sorely. "I'm sorry to hear that." He rolled his shoulders back and slid his hands down to his hips, tucking his thumbs into his pockets. "Any good news?"

"They have a son that she insisted she name after her brother that died some years ago." The corner of David's lip tucked up and Beck felt his heart skip a beat. "I also don't know if they will do this, but Mr. Travis said he was going to try and talk to his wife about making some time to fly out to California to see Kyle."

"Should be interesting if they do." They continued to the door and stepped on the porch just as Trina opened it.

"What's taking you guys?" She asked. Beck peered past her and was shocked to see all of the cursed sitting around the now cleared living room. Janan and Melinda were there as well. "Any longer and I think we'll have a riot on our hands. Then you can talk angry zombies."

"Not. Zombies." Trina teased him with a smirk and he entered the place carefully. The furniture had been pushed up against the walls and lit candles were everywhere. "I actually am surprised we weren't doing this at Janan's shop."

Janan smacked a fan in her hand, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. "Do not be a fool boy! My shop is not big enough to hold twenty-five cursed souls." He rubbed his neck and saw Jason's face fall flat.

"My living room isn't that much larger than your shop," Jason muttered, "You could have fit them. You just didn't want to go through the trouble." Janan walked past him, waving her hands in the air.

"Why go through all the trouble of moving my stuff when we have a nice strong man willing to move his furniture around? Hm?"

"I don't know if 'willing' is the right word for it. More like: Psychotic old woman comes rushing in saying she'll summon up a hell storm if we don't hold the séance here…" Janan curled her hands and put her wrists to her waist while narrowing her eyes and raising an eyebrow.

Beck covered a smile with his hand and watched as Trina nudged Jason in the ribs and wrapped her arms around his left arm. "We're happy to hold it here," Trina replied quickly, "Right Jason?"

"Oh of course, love. I'm thrilled to have all the fire hazards in a house I'm renting to my parents." Jason turned his attention to his uncle, who was still admiring the place. "Though Uncle's happy. This was his childhood home, apparently."

"You didn't know that?"

"Before today? Nope. Mom never talked about it, she only told me it was up for rent, and I should take it because she was discounting it." Beck watched Sikowitz return to the circle of ghosts, looking up with a smile as he sat beside the old assistant principal. "So I guess we should begin?"

Trina nodded and guided Beck to the circle. He sat down between Sikowitz and Damian. Damian was next to Denise, holding her hand, much to Beck's joy. "It's about time," Mr. Oxford said to him, "I do believe my wife has been waiting for me." Beck smiled at the old man and nodded. "Wilma passed away back in '98, and Miss Vega here says she hasn't crossed yet."

"Same for my sister," Beck replied, "Lisa's been waiting for this day. Probably annoyed that I won't go until everyone else has." To his right, he saw the fourteen lost spirits appear in the room. Jason complained about the unexpected visitors, then sat down with Trina next to the other mediums.

In front of the lost, Lisa made her appearance. David stumbled when he saw her, and for a minute, Beck was afraid the man would break down on the spot. Lisa smiled at the man, and he smiled back through now fresh tears.

Once everybody was situated, Trina looked from side to side. "Never in a million years did I think I'd be doing a séance. But then, a lot of unexpected things have happened lately. I'm glad to be a part of this." She folded her hands in her lap and made eye contact with Beck. "If everyone's ready, and if you're ready, I'd like to go ahead and start. Is there anything you want to say to everybody?"

"Nothing they don't already know." Beck could feel their gazes on him, but for the first time, he didn't feel animosity. He was curious if they accepted him now, but most importantly, he was thankful they could be saved. "Thank you, Trina. And everyone, I'm sorry I got us in this mess to begin with. I'm glad we could make it…" The others nodded and he looked back to his niece while choking out a sob. "I think we're ready."

"Okay." Her voice was soft and peaceful, which helped to calm him. "Everyone join hands…" They did as instructed and everybody closed their eyes, listening to Trina and releasing their worries as she spoke. "I am calling out for spirits and ghosts beyond the veil to come and release twenty-six souls bound and cursed by a reaper that is no longer existent."

"Denise Manchester, June Tet, Abigail Marianne, Donna Peters, Quincy Norris…" Beck's body started to relax as he listened to the names of those who were present. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest, and it was beginning to become hard to breathe. When she got to his name, he almost broke apart from the group. "…Erwin Sikowitz, Damian Parker, and Beck Oliver…"

Trina paused for one second to breathe, but that one second felt like an eternity to him. He almost wanted to cry out and ask that she not stop, that she keep going, but he knew she wasn't done yet.

"These are the trapped souls that need release. All I ask for is twenty-six spirits, one person for each bound that has a connection with them, to come and free them. The reaper, Ahriman, is dead so all that is needed is your presence."

As she went through the names again, he began to feel the connection with the others slacking. The circle was breaking, but he kept his eyes closed as he was unsure whether or not this was a good thing.

To his left, Damian's grip released and he could feel the ash seeping through his fingers. Beck gasped out and closed his right hand, realizing as well that Sikowitz was now gone. His heartbeat increased and a terrified, frantic whimper left his lips.

"Don't be afraid, brother." Lisa's soothing voice entered his ears as though it were music. "Everyone has gone ahead, let me bring you to them, for it is your turn now." His breathing fell apart and his voice broke as he struggled to accept her. "They are waiting. Don't keep them."

"I-I'm ready." A soothing feeling swept across his body as Lisa reached into him. For the first time, he didn't feel an attachment to the corpse that bound him, and he was relieved. "Thank you for freeing me, sis."

"It's what I've been waiting around to do, Beck. You are free, you can open your eyes now."

Beck felt his earthly corpse melt away, and when he opened his eyes, he was no longer sitting in Jason's living room.

Rather, it looked to be a grand auditorium with rows of light that surrounded a group of forty-five. Above them was a sign that said 'Class of 1991', and in front of them stood Sikowitz and Mr. Oxford at a podium. Behind them was a doorway of light.

Sikowitz grasped the edge of the podium with a proud expression and a twinkle in his eye. "May I present to you. The graduating class and faculty of 1991." He felt somebody nudge him and glanced over to see Damian.

"We made it," Damian smirked, "I almost thought we wouldn't." Beside him was Denise, gripping his hand firmly. "Look around you Beck, then look to the right." Beck did as said and saw everyone present, from those that were lost, to those that were saved before the séance.

Directly to his right was Jade, in spirit form. He cupped a hand over his mouth and struggled to speak, gazing into her loving eyes while Sikowitz called the names of the students. Those that went ahead shook Mr. Oxford's hand and met with the one that freed them before walking through the doorway.

Each person pat Beck on the shoulder, accepting him and thanking him for rescuing them. When Jade's name was called, she kissed him on the cheek and made her way to the door, stopping beside two people that Beck recognized instantly.

Sinjin and Lisa were waiting to bring them across. "Damian Parker and Beck Oliver," Sikowitz called out, "It's time to go into the light." Beck looked to Damian, who simply shrugged and smiled before walking to the door.

Beck followed him and stepped before Sinjin, who brought his hands to their shoulders. "It's good to see the both of you again," Sinjin whispered. "You've done well, let's not linger here any longer."

As the tears formed beneath his eyelids, he looked to Jade with a sudden gasp. Beside her were Andre, Beck, Robbie, Rex, and Cat. Rex now looked as he had before he was trapped to the body of a puppet.

"They want to say thanks," Jade remarked, "And so do I. Let's go…" She looked at Sinjin, then smiled at Damian. "All of us, together. Including you, Damian, you never were meant to be left out."

Sinjin walked around the two men, then stepped in between them. He threw his arms around their shoulders and flashed a toothy grin. "We'll be the three musketeers-and their girls."

"Girlfriends?" Damian laughed teasingly at Sinjin and raised an eyebrow. Jade and Denise gazed eagerly at the boy. "Since when did you have a girlfriend? Did you finally get a girl on the other side?"

"Sure Damian, salt the wound. God I missed you guys." It truly did feel like old times, especially since this was what they were like when they were alive. Beck turned his gaze over his shoulder and saw both Mr. Oxford and Mr. Sikowitz with the one that helped them to cross over.

Mr. Oxford was arm and arm with his wife, who now looked just a little older than he did. Sikowitz looked dwarfed by his militant father's statute figure. Despite the older man's military status and background, he had always been close to his son. It was that closeness and inspiration that defined Sikowitz's heroic actions the day of the massacre.

"Class is dismissed," Sikowitz said for the last time. He turned his lips into a smirk and motioned towards the spirit door. "Now go on you troublemakers." Beck, Damian and Sinjin laughed and performed one final glance at each other before making their way to the door.

Finally, the curse had been lifted, and Beck had no more reason to be afraid. He'd been accepted and forgiven, much like his friend. Now, the forty-five souls could rest in peace.

There were many other reapers in the world, and millions of cursed residing among the living. But for Ahriman, he would no longer claim any other souls, and a small handful proved that even those cursed to the fire could be unbound.

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><p>Your thoughts?<p> 


	30. Memories of a Happier Time

Bound Souls

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

* * *

><p>Chapter 30 (Memories of a Happier Time)<p>

"I found this in my locker while cleaning it out," Tori announced while pushing the videotape into the VCR she brought over. Trina curled up on the couch beside Jason and sipped on a glass of soda while he placed an arm around her shoulders.

David and Kyle were there as well, fawning over the baby. Of course, Kyle had commandeered the recliner, leaving David to stand up beside him while Kyle held onto his granddaughter. "What is it?" David asked. "Aside from the obvious."

"I'm not sure, but it's from Beck." Tori stepped back and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. "It came with a note that said 'something to remember us by', and he signed it. He must have slipped it in when I wasn't looking."

Trina lowered the glass and motioned her hand in the air. "Well play it!" She was eager to see what it was, and excited over thinking it could be a video from when the group was alive. "If it's something he shot way back when, it'll be nice to see. Tori hit the play button and sat down.

What appeared was a slightly grainy, but clear picture of a school hallway adorned with posters and signs celebrating the turn of the decade. "They've written 1990 over everything," Beck's voice startled the group and a haunting feeling came over them, but soon faded.

The boy appeared in front of the camera, frightening everyone at first. His hair was much thinner and slicked back, and he had a green sports band wrapped around his head. His shirt was a collared shirt hidden beneath a dark leather jacket. "The eighties might be gone, but the style sure isn't." Beck looked away from the camera and laughed as a girl walked by. "If I see another girl with a messy side ponytail, I'm going to flip."

The girl he just laughed at stopped moving. She was wearing thin purple jeans with the purple fur around the bottom of her legs. Her shirt was black and the long sleeves that clung to her arms ended with purple stripes around the wrist. Her long dark, frizzy hair was flowing off the side of her head as a ponytail that Beck commented on.

When the girl turned around, the group watching the video nearly died laughing. It was Jade. For a second they weren't sure if they should laugh, but this was clearly not meant to be a time of mourning but a time to remember good friends.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jade asked sharply. "You're late for class!" Beck snickered at her and began to point to her foot. When she looked down, she screamed at the long stream of tissue paper clinging to the bottom of her shoe.

"Looking hot there, Jade."

"Oh shut up!" Jade tore the tissue off and stormed away with a huff. Beck held his stomach and continued to laugh until her head poked out around the corner. "By the way, Sikowitz is looking for you. He's pissed."

"Aw what did you do, sweet-cheeks?"

"It's more what did you do?"

"Why I haven't the slightest idea!" He put his hand to his chest and smiled as Jade disappeared. After a second, he leaned to the camera and smirked. "Time to witness my handiwork. Damian and Sinjin will be surprised, I think I've out done them and myself. We're always competing to see who can do the best prank…check it."

He carried the camera to the classroom. Catherine Valentine was standing on the stage in the back of the class, dressed in similar attire as Jade, but with shorter frizzy hair and a sucker in her mouth. With her were Robbie and another student. "He's here, Mr. Sikowitz!" She pointed at him.

Sikowitz was sitting at his desk, glaring at the door. His hands were flat on the surface, his lesson plan was glued to the center, and he was covered in a jelly-like material that dropped off a bucket from above.

Damian and Sinjin, dressed similarly to Beck and with the same style of hair, looked up at him with bewildered and proud gazes. "Dude you have outdone yourself," Sinjin chimed, "I cannot believe you did that!" Damian was beside himself with laughter.

Beck bowed and walked towards them, keeping the camera focused on the fuming instructor. "Mr. Sikowitz, why don't you stand up?"

"Because whatever it is I have sat down on," Sikowitz spoke with a slow and deep voice, "It is wet and sticky. If I stand, you know perfectly well what will happen to my pants. You and your miscreant friends have detention."

Damian and Sinjin both protested, but the teacher wasn't hearing it. "As far as I am concerned, all three of you troublemakers may as well have been in on this." Sikowitz narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to sweep away some of the jelly from his forehead. "You three often are."

"It was hilarious," Rex laughed from the other end. Sikowitz turned his glare onto the freckled boy and started to growl. "There was a string on the chair, the minute he sat down, he pulled the bucket over the rafter above him."

"Do you want to join them, Mr. Parrish?"

"No sir."

"Then I suggest you be silent." Sikowitz stood up quickly, and then a loud rip echoed throughout the classroom. His eyes widened and his face turned bright red. Damian, Beck, and Sinjin roared with laughter.

Jade walked up and tapped the camera with her finger. "You three are gonna get it now." She smacked her lips and moved her mouth to chew the gum she was eating. Beck stopped laughing for a moment and turned the camera onto her.

"Hey, will you go out with me this weekend?"

Jade rolled her eyes and pushed her hand over the camera. "Ask me when you're not in detention, troublemaker."

"You three, to the principal's office!" Sikowitz bellowed. Sinjin groaned and Damian shrugged.

"Three musketeers got to stick together," Beck told them as they left the classroom. "But seriously, how awesome was that?"

"Great if you're on track to get suspended before Christmas," Damian chuckled, "Looks like we'll have to talk to old Mr. Oxford. When is that guy retiring anyway? He's ancient!"

"He's like family now," Sinjin joked, "With as many times as we've been in his office." Sinjin moved his arm around Beck's shoulders and gestured at the classroom. "So Beck, when were you going to tell us you've got the hots for little miss thing in there?"

"I don't know guys, I wanted to bring it up." Beck moved the camera around the school, sighing contently as he stopped it onto his friends. "I've been thinking about cleaning up my act-she won't date a guy that's always getting into trouble."

Damian hummed and looked over to Sinjin who smiled at him. "I think you should totally go for it," Sinjin remarked. Damian approved with a nod. "As long as we're still hangin', I don't have a problem with it."

As they continued down the hallway, Beck pointed his camera at a man clearly recognizable as Andre Harris, but he looked much different. He was wearing a football jersey, had short curly hair, and long white pants. "Andre hey," Damian waved at the man, "Just finishing up practice?"

"Yeah," Andre replied, "Coach is giving me a hard time. I thought racial tension ended back in the 60s?"

"They did." Damian looked back at Beck and frowned. "But apparently Coach Hendrix didn't get the memo."

"Isn't he like eighty or something?" Sinjin asked. "But seriously Andre, if the guy is giving you a hard time because you're black, take it to the principal. Either the principal or Mr. Oxford will probably reprimand him."

"Nah it's fine." Andre shrugged and slammed his locker shut. "I've been thinking of switching over to music classes anyway. It would go well with the acting classes-speaking of which, I'm late already."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about being late." Sinjin crossed his arms, then poked his thumb out at Beck. "Mr. Graceful here was kind enough to dump a vat of jelly, pudding, and cornmeal on Sikowitz. And of course, we're all getting detention for it."

"You're welcome," Beck bowed again and laughed while his friends shook their heads. Andre's eyes grew and he moved his hand to his stomach, chuckling once. "I consider that the top of everything I've done. I'm cleaning up my act after this."

"You mean the great prankster is putting up his banana peels and whipped cream?"

"Well, if I can get Jade to go out with me, maybe not the whipped cream." Sinjin and Damian rolled their eyes and Andre walked off, waving at them.

"You're a funny man Beck," Andre chortled, "See you around."

Damian nudged Beck and Sinjin gave him a disapproving look. "Oh it was a _joke_." He sighed and started to turn, stopping when they saw an old man in a suit staring at them. "Oh! Hey Mr. Oxford. We were just coming to see you."

"I had a feeling," The man sighed and straightened his arm out to the office. "Please-and you can turn that camera off now."

The footage cut off and Trina held her hand over her lips while struggling to hold back a disturbed laugh. "Wow," Tori said astonishingly. "I can't believe Beck was such a prankster."

"At least we know he cleaned it up." Jason's brow was furrowed and he was staring at the television screen with a puzzled expression. "Although seeing my uncle covered in whatever the hell that was…that was amusing."

Trina looked past him to Kyle, but the man didn't appear to be talking. His eyes were glazed over and he was slowly rocking in the chair. "He's shocked," David stated, "I think it's a little startling. It's nice to see that group though, the way they were back then…"

"I wonder whatever happened to that coach that was mentioned."

"If I remember correctly, he was fired about two or three months before the shooting. Died back in '94, I think."

"It isn't important." Trina stood up and hurried to the VCR. She ejected the tape and held it carefully in her hands while peering down at it. "This tape was made for a reason, and Beck left it for a reason."

She extended it to Tori, smiling as her sister took it from her. "You want me to hold onto it, Trina?"

"He put it in your locker." Tori needed it more than she did. While she loved seeing the video, she knew her sister would want to see it more than she would. "You're still moving on, and that's going to help you do that. The memories of a happier time."

"Thanks, Trina." Tori cradled the tape against her chest. Tears fell from the girl's eyes, but a smile started to grow on her lips.

"Of course." Trina returned to her space next to Jason and cuddled up against him. Her hand moved to the middle of his torso and her head dropped to his shoulder. "I think I'm done with the supernatural life for a while."

"That's a relief," Jason replied, "Though I don't know if the ghosts are done with you." Trina shuddered and turned her head, burrowing her face in the crevice of his shoulder. "You are a medium, after all."

"And ghosts are going to have to wait and learn to respect my privacy. I've got college to focus on. The L.A. Medium is not yet active."

* * *

><p>I thought it'd be nice to end on this happier note. It's been a good run, I hope you enjoyed the tale.<p> 


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